Rayan Cherki continues to be heavily linked with a move to Chelsea this summer following an impressive outing at the Under-21 European Championship

Rayan Cherki has been linked with a move to Chelsea (Image: Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

Laurent Blanc has advised Rayan Cherki to remain at Olympique Lyonnais for a further year despite interest from Chelsea. The 19-year-old wonderkid has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge recently as Mauricio Pochettino looks to replace Mason Mount.

football.london understands that the Blues have recently stepped up their pursuit of Cherki following positive conversations with his entourage over a possible deal. It’s believed that Chelsea sent scouts to watch the attacking midfielder on several occasions last term, where they also monitored the progress of Malo Gusto, who was signed in January.

Following the departure of Mount, Cherki has been identified as a ‘priority signing’ with Pochettino eager to further bolster his creative options this summer. It’s said that the West Londoners are considering whether or not to send an offer to Lyon, who have not explicitly said that he’s not for sale.

In an interview with French newspaper Le Progres, as quoted by RMC Sport, Blanc addressed the futures of Castello Lukeba and Cherki. The Lyon boss explained why he believes the duo should stay at the club for a further year.

“OL must say, okay if these are figures at an impressive level, but on the other hand at this price (27 million), I tell him to stay one more year in Lyon,” said the 57-year-old. “I’d really mind if he left. It’s the same for Cherki. Especially since we made room for them. It would be a little early, but maybe I’m being a little selfish.”

Then, Blanc appeared to take a swipe at Chelsea by labelling the club as an ‘intermediate’ side who have ‘interesting financial capacity’ but ‘are not the greatest’. He added: “I have a speech which tells me that we are not obliged to sell to change the decision of the DNCG.

“But I say it to my owner (John Textor): what do we do if we have a proposal for high profile? The players we have are very good, and they have shown it over the last six months.

“But they are not yet ready to go to the top. Then there are intermediate clubs, and I say that with a lot of of respect, who have an interesting financial capacity, but who are not the greatest.”

Cherki, who sees his contract at the Groupama Stadium expire in 2025, featured 34 times for Olympique Lyonnais in Ligue 1 last season, directly contributing towards 10 goals. The France Under-21 international has quickly established himself as a key component in Blanc’s starting lineup and his impressive performances have courted the interest of Chelsea.

In January, the Lyon president publicly criticised Paris Saint-Germain for making an ‘insulting’ offer for Cherki. Speaking to RMC Sport, Jean-Michel Aulas said: “I had a long time with Nasser [al-Khelaifi], who called me on Saturday evening, to find out whether or not we were in negotiations for Rayan Cherki.

“I told him no, and Nasser told me, ‘okay, it’s over’, and he added that PSG would therefore not make a new offer. I thank him for this direct and sincere contact. We did not enter into negotiations, but the level of the offer was insulting.”

Soucre: football.london