Chelsea have stepped up their interest in Rayan Cherki and have been in direct contact with the Frenchman's representatives in recent days, football.london understands.
Lyon, however, who have the 19-year-old under contract until June 30, 2025, are determined to keep hold of their prized asset. Interestingly enough, the French club have not said he is not for sale, but with their widely reported financial problems at the moment, they will try to get every penny possible out of Chelsea should they make a bid.
An offer is under consideration, with Chelsea and Cherki's representatives speaking in recent days to try and come to an agreement on personal terms. Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in Cherki after having a bid turned down for the teenager in the January transfer window.
If Lyon were to sell, though, they would rather do business with Chelsea rather than strengthen one of their league rivals. Other targets are also being looked at by the west Londoners, but football.london understands Cherki is now the priority in that specific position.
Who is Rayan Cherki?
Cherki is seen as a potential generational talent at the Groupama Stadium, which is why Lyon are so keen on keeping him around for another season at least. With such talent, though, comes big interest and Chelsea will now step up their efforts to sign the France Under-21 international.
The teenage sensation featured 34 times for Lyon in Ligue 1 last season, where he scored four goals and provided six assists in what was a disappointing campaign for OL. Lyon supporter and expert, Nicholas Mamo, spoke to football.london earlier in the month to give Chelsea supporters more of an insight on what sort of player they would be getting in Cherki.
READ MORE: Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: All of the latest updates coming out of Stamford Bridge
Mamo said: "[Cherki is a] very creative and unpredictable attacking midfielder. Cherki is the type of player you give the ball to when your team is looking for a last-minute winner."
Speaking on what sort of money Lyon would ask for Cherki, Mamo continued: "It's difficult to say, especially because of the club's new direction. [John] Textor [Lyon's president] does not seem keen on selling players.
"[Jean-Michel] Aulas [Lyon's former president] planned to sell players for €70million [£60million] this summer, whereas Textor held out and sold nobody before the end of June. Instead, Textor is trying to find funding elsewhere to prioritise the sporting side.
"Lyon want €35million [£30million] for [Castello] Lukeba, whose contract expires in 2025, like Cherki. Lukeba is one year older, a defender and significantly less hyped. I expect Lyon to push for at least €40million [£34.3million] for Cherki, but they might go for more. At that price, however, I expect other teams, maybe even PSG, to start a bidding war."
He added: "Personally, I do not think Lyon will sell him this year. He has a great relationship with Blanc, and he knows he will always be courted. Lyon will probably sell Lukeba and try to extend Cherki's contract, especially now they have offloaded several players with expensive contracts.
"He is the best player from Lyon's academy in a very long time, maybe since [Karim] Benzema. The fans will react poorly [if he is sold], although the extent of it will depend on the price. If the club do not sell him this year, they will have to extend his contract or sell him next year. That might temper expectations a bit.
"Either way, Lyon have been preparing for his sale for a long time. Contract negotiations with him are always drawn-out and they had a few scares and possible sales before. Overall, it's a big test for the new direction."
