Rayan Cherki was on Real Madrid and Manchester United’s shortlist, confirms Jean-Michel Aulas
Olympique Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has confirmed that both Manchester United and Real Madrid were interested in Rayan Cherki before he signed a professional contract with the club. The French starlet is considered to be a future superstar and his talent has caused ripples across Europe.
From the likes of Nabil Fekir, and Tanguy Ndombele, to Karim Benzema, and even Samuel Umtiti, Olympique Lyon has been a breeding ground for young talent. The Ligue 1 side has been one of the few sides to threaten PSG’s dominance in the French top tier alongside AS Monaco despite their recent struggles. But their youth academy has always been a key part of the club with Lyon’s latest group amongst one of their best.
It has seen the likes of Maxence Caqueret, Reo Griffiths and Boubacar Fofana thrive but the gem of the latest crop has to be Rayan Cherki. Despite being only 16-years-old, the young attacking midfielder has already caused serious problems for the French top tier as he became Lyon’s youngest ever goalscorer last season. But even before he made his debut for the Ligue 1 giants, Cherki was making ripples with Europe’s biggest sides interested in him.
However, Jean Michel Aulas has confirmed that the rumours were true with both Manchester United and Real Madrid interested in Cherki before he signed his professional contract. The Olympique Lyon president further added that the 16-year-old has the talent to become one of the best and it’s why Lyon did everything they could to ensure that the Frenchman signed a permanent contract with the club.
“He’s undoubtedly a player who will go to the highest level. That’s why we did everything we could to sign him.  The two clubs that were interested when we won his faith were Real Madrid and Manchester United. We want him to succeed with Lyon. We want to support him and that’s why we’re trying to move his career on. In years to come, we want him to become not only a leader for our attack, but a leader from the academy,” Aulas said, reported Goal.