Ben Doak could see Liverpool pathway blocked as Lyon star tipped for bargain transfer

Liverpool have reportedly set their sights on a bargain move for Lyon star Rayan Cherki.

The tricky 21-year-old is a product of the French club's academy and is having a positive season in Ligue 1. Rangers fans got an up-close look at his wondrous left foot when the seven-time Ligue 1 champions visited Ibrox in the Europa League last month. However, Lyon president John Textor has admitted that Rayan Cherki's future is uncertain now that they face the threat of relegation.

Lyon have been provisionally relegated to Ligue 2 at the end of the season due to “financial mismanagement”, with debts of over £400m. The club have also been banned from bringing in new players in January. As a result Textor has admitted that Rayan Cherki's future at the Ligue 1 club is uncertain now that they face the very real threat of relegation. He is currently valued at £20.8m and could open the door to a bargain transfer and a potential long-term replacement for Mohamed Salah.

"We lost €15m from his sale last summer… but his value is now way higher," he said. "He should stay in January but it’s up to Rayan, he decides what he wants to do. We have an excess of superb players. The coach has almost impossible decisions to make. I hate rumours about which players to sell, it all depends on the opportunities, but the certainty is the abundance of players. We have 29 players in the first team. Ideally, we want 23 or 24. There are six players too many. Some have not left and we wanted to recruit to be stronger in the league."

The increased chances of Liverpool signing Cherki, also a right winger, could potentially block an Anfield pathway for Ben Doak. The Scotland kid is on loan at Championship club Middlesborough from the Reds. The 19-year-old tore