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The amount Liverpool will have to pay to sign their Rayan Cherki has been revealed.

Although the Reds are flying at the moment, they are already making plans to strengthen their squad.

One of the players linked with a potential move to Anfield is Olympique Lyon’s Rayan Cherki.

The 21-one-year-old winger is one of the few players that Lyon could be on the move due to Lyon’s current financial situation.

The Ligue 1 side is in a very delicate situation and risks suffering administrative relegation.

With debts surpassing €500 million, the French financial watchdog, DNCG, has warned Lyon of a looming relegation to Ligue 2.

This will be enacted if their financial situation is not resolved soon.

As a result, some of their key players have been placed in the shop window to raise the money needed to offset the debt.

Cherki, one of Lyon’s brightest stars, has attracted the interest of several European giants, including Liverpool, who are looking to take advantage of Lyon’s situation to sign him for cheap.

The Reds are often looking for opportunities to acquire good players for cheap in the market.

They employed this tactic in the last transfer window when they signed Federico Chiesa from Juventus for a reported €15m.

But with Cherki, Liverpool may have to dig a little deeper into their pockets after Lyon’s decision on his price tag.

How much Rayan Cherki could cost Liverpool

According to French paper Foot Mercato, Lyon will demand a fee starting at around £25-29million, more than double the £12.5m they were willing to sell him to Fulham for in the summer.

Meanwhile, Liverpool would face stern competition to land the mercurial winger, with Barcelona also keen to swoop in for the star.

However, despite Lyon’s need to sell, the club are desperate to keep their star player?

Perhaps their price tag is an attempt to beat off interest from interested clubs.

Lyon president John Textor even recently issued a defiant message to any club hoping to exploit their financial troubles.

Speaking about Cherki, Textor stated, “We lost €15m from his potential sale [to PSG] last summer, but now his value is way higher.”

Despite the pressure, Textor suggested Cherki is likely to stay, adding, “He should stay in January, but it’s up to Rayan, as is always the case in football.”

Textor also acknowledged that Lyon may need to offload players to balance the books, noting, “We have an excess of superb players.”

“The coach has almost impossible decisions to make.”

“I hate rumors about which players to sell, it all depends on the opportunities.”

While Liverpool might hope for a bargain, Textor’s words make one thing clear: Cherki won’t come cheap.

Whether Lyon’s financial reality forces a change remains to be seen, but for now, only time or the DNCG’s verdict will tell.

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