In Chelsea transfer news - Rayan Cherki & Elye Wahi have piqued the interest of Chelsea's recruitment department ahead of the 23/24 season.
Chelsea are gearing up to make an initial bid for Rayan Cherki, the talented prodigy from Lyon, as they look to fill the void left by Christian Pulisic.
In anticipation of Pulisic's departure, Chelsea are wasting no time in finding a suitable replacement, and Cherki is high on their list of targets. Elye Wahi, the promising striker from Montpellier, is also being considered by the London-based club.
It has been revealed that Cherki is eager to join Chelsea. Born in Lyon and a product of the club's esteemed youth system, the 19-year-old midfielder is valued at approximately €40 million. His current contract runs until June 2025, as an automatic one-year extension was triggered in April after he made 15 starts in Ligue 1. As part of the extension, his wages were also increased, and he now earns a gross salary of €75,000 per week.
Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning French champions, had an offer for Cherki turned down by Lyon in January. However, Lyon, who have encountered financial fair play issues with their upcoming season's budget, may be compelled to part ways with some players if they wish to pursue new signings during the summer transfer window.
The relationship between Chelsea and Lyon, both owned by American entities, is in good standing following the transfer of Malo Gusto to Stamford Bridge in January. Cherki, an attacking midfielder who will celebrate his 20th birthday in August, has long been on Chelsea's radar. The club's scouts closely monitored his performances during the recent UEFA Under-21 European Championship, where he displayed his talents for France, despite their disappointment of an early exit in the quarterfinals against Ukraine.
Cherki Performance
Cherki's output in the past year places him in the 95 percentile or better in many of the categories associated with creative midfield players in the top 5 european divisions. Averaging 6.15 shot creating actions per 90, he sits fouth overall, just behind Lionel Messi.
Playing in a lineup alongside the likes of Christopher Nkunku, Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk would offer him a lot of options for his extensive passing palette, and we could see him push even higher than the levels he has shown us so far at Lyon.
Cherki's versatility is one of his standout attributes. Equally adept with both his right and left foot, he is comfortable playing in various attacking positions, ranging from winger to second striker, number 10, and even potentially as a false nine. Last season was his most impressive yet, as he contributed four goals and six assists in 21 starts in Ligue 1.
Elye Wahi - Target Number 2!
In addition to their pursuit of Cherki, Chelsea are also keeping a close eye on the highly regarded striker from Montpellier, Elye Wahi. As initially reported by L'Equipe newspaper on Tuesday, the 20-year-old forward, who is under contract until June 2025, had an outstanding campaign in Ligue 1 last season, finding the net 19 times in 33 appearances. Montpellier are open to his departure for a fee of €30 million, and several other English clubs are reportedly monitoring his situation as well.
As far as Chelsea transfer news is concerned, both Cherki and Wahi align with Chelsea's transfer strategy, which has been centered around youthful talents since the takeover by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital last year.