Real Madrid keeping a close eye on French prodigy Rayan Cherki: Things to know about him

Bengaluru Sept. 15: Over the last few years, Real Madrid seem to have ditched the Galactico policy and instead spent heavily on future prospect.

The decision has helped them to acquire some of the brightest young talents of world football with the likes Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Camavinga etc now all part of the first-team action.

As per some rumours, the Los Blancos are still on the lookout for exciting young talents to revamp the ageing squad and now have been linked with French prodigy Rayan Cherki. The 18-year-old Lyon sensational is reportedly viewed as the long term heir of Karim Benzema. Madrid have been closely monitoring the progress of Cherki for quite some time now and they appear to be ready to make their move for him.

Here are the couple of things you need to know about him:

His career so far

Cherki joined Lyon as a seven-year-old in 2010 and made substantial progress in their youth setup breaking into the first team set-up in 2019/20 at just 16. He was also the youngest player to ever take part in a Champions League knockout-round match after coming on as a substitute against Bayern Munich that season. He established himself as a regular in the side since last season and to date has made 45 appearances scoring seven goals and registering six assists in the process.

Playing Style

His profile may place him as an attacking midfielder but he is capable of filling in anywhere in the attack. He can operate on both flanks, upfront as a striking option, or even play behind the Centre-Forward as a creative playmaker. His only weak link so far is his defensive game but that is likely to only improve, given he is just 18.

Transfer Fee

Lyon reportedly value him at around €25 million which could be feasible for Madrid. With Benzema still going strong, as of now, Cherki could be a solution out wide, where he could compete with Eden Hazard, Vinicius Jr. and others. He will need to be developed into the role in the years to come and Ancelotti in that aspect could be a great mentor.