Liverpool have Ligue 1 youngster on their radar to replace Mohamed Salah

Today at 09:38 AM

Lyon forward Rayan Cherki has emerged on Liverpool’s radar as they make plans for life without Mohamed Salah.

The Egyptian is in the final year of his contract with the Reds and may well be moving on at the end of the season.

The 32-year-old has been at Anfield since 2017 and has scored 221 goals in 366 games for the club, becoming a legend not only for the Reds but the Premier League as a whole.

If he is to leave in the summer then he will take some replacing, but Liverpool are already getting ready to try and fill the void he will leave.

French publication L’Equipe report that Cherki is of interest to the Reds, although they are not alone, with Paris Saint-Germain also considering a move for the 21-year-old.

Despite not turning 22 until August, Cherki has gained a huge amount of experience already for Lyon, making 152 appearances for the club and scoring 20 goals.

The product of the Lyon academy made his first team debut at just 16 years old and has continued to make regular appearances ever since.

The youngster is yet to make his debut for the senior France side, but has 19 caps for the Under-21 side and played for the Olympic team over the summer, coming off the bench in the final against Spain.

Cherki is under contract at Lyon until 2026 and that deal will be extended by a year if he is still at the club at the end of next summer, so his employers are under no real pressure to sell on that front.

However, they are under significant financial pressure due to an economic crisis at the club which could see them relegated from Ligue 1 unless they can solve it.

Speaking about his future earlier this year, Cherki said: ‘I don’t think about what’s next at all.

‘My future will wait, until the end of the season. Lyon comes first. When the time comes to ask the question, we will ask it, but it is not yet the time.’

Liverpool are in a sticky situation in terms of contracts, with Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold all in the final season of their deals.

No announcements have been made over what the trio will do beyond this season but if all three were to leave the club on free transfers then it would be a huge blow.