Liverpool sent Rayan Cherki transfer warning by Lyon president
- Liverpool linked with January move for Lyon midfielder Cherki
- French side facing relegation from Ligue 1 over financial issues
- President vows not to let top stars leave for cheap
Lyon president John Textor has vowed not to lose the club’s top talents as part of the battle to avoid being forcibly relegated over financial issues.
French football’s financial authorities, the DNCG, have ruled that Lyon will be relegated from Ligue 1 next summer unless they can get their debts of over €500m in order, sparking significant speculation about a potential fire sale.
Midfielder Rayan Cherki is among the most valuable players in the squad and it was recently reported that Liverpool were looking to take advantage of Lyon’s situation with a cut-price bid for the 21-year-old.
Textor, however, has stood firm and warned suitors that Cherki will not be available for cheap.
“We lost €15m from his potential sale [to Paris Saint-Germain] last summer, but now his value is way higher,” Textor said of Cherki. “He should stay in January, but it’s up to Rayan, as is always the case in football.”
Textor, who also owns a significant share in Crystal Palace which he looked to sell to pursue a takeover of Everton earlier this year, went on to admit Lyon plan to offload players to try and raise funds.
“We have an excess of superb players,” he said. “The coach has almost impossible decisions to make. I hate rumours about which players to sell, it all depends on the opportunities, but the certainty is the abundance of players.
“We have 29 players in the first team. Ideally, we want 23 or 24. There are six players too many. Some have not left and we wanted to recruit to be stronger in the league.”
Alongside Cherki, Lyon is home to former Premier League stars like Alexandre Lacazette, Wilfried Zaha, Said Benrahma and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, while young Malick Fofana and Maxence Caqueret are both likely to be of interest if Lyon find themselves forced to entertain offers.
