Arsenal have been named as one of the potential destinations for an "outrageous" forward, tipped to become one of the world's best, who could now leave his club for under £30 million.
Arsenal target new forward and potential Bukayo Saka alternative
In the last few weeks, Mikel Arteta's side have been linked with a few interesting wingers, as the club seek to potentially acquire a back-up option to star man Bukayo Saka.
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He'd be a very popular addition.
Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo is reportedly on Arsenal's radar as an option, with the Cameroonian enjoying a sensational Premier League campaign so far - scoring eight goals in 12 top-flight starts.
Arsenal's next five Premier League games Date
West Ham United (away) November 30
Man United (home) December 4
Fulham (away) December 8
Everton (home) December 14
Crystal Palace (away) December 21
Bournemouth's Antoine Sememyo is also a transfer target for Arsenal, as per some media sources, but it is likely that both of these players will cost a premium to bring to north London in January.
A more realistic name financially, especially considering Lyon's dire financial situation right now, is highly-rated French winger Rayan Cherki.
Rayan Cherki Lyon
The 21-year-old can play anywhere across the attacking midfield line, including on both flanks, and this has attracted serious interest from elite English sides.
Arsenal could sign Lyon star Rayan Cherki for under £30 million
Lyon have been provisionally relegated to Ligue 2 for next season, unless their finances drastically improve, with a transfer ban also in place at the Groupama Stadium.
This means that Pierre Sage's side could be forced to offload key men in January, so they can raise funds and prevent what is seen as a bleak future for the French giants.
Arsenal have been named as contenders to sign Cherki in January, with the winger potentially available for just £25 million, despite his status as a player who could become world-class. The Lyon academy graduate has been called "outrageous" for his skill level, so the Gunners could strike a real bargain here.
“At number four. It’s Rayan Cherki, who is just absolutely unbelievable,” said journalist Dean Jones on the Ranks FC Ultras Podcast (via TBR).
“Potential landing spots at the moment for Cherki include Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal. I’m sure you’ll have thoughts on others that should be in the mix. But obviously, this becomes more interesting because there’s a lot of talk that Lyon are going to have to cash in on some players in the near future.
“We’ll have to wait to see whether that actually proves to be true, whether they’re actually tempted. But I mean, you see figures around Cherki and there’s like 25 million pounds is talked about, which just seems like too good to be true. He’s just different, this player.
“If you haven’t seen Cherki play, then just either stop the pod and go and watch him on YouTube for 10 minutes and then come back or just go watch him while we’re talking right now. Because his skill level is outrageous. He feels like he could become one of the best players in the world.”