39-goal gem eyed by Man Utd branded 'best natural talent' by star who has played with Saka, Kane & Foden

Manchester United target Rayan Cherki has been hailed as the “best natural talent I've ever seen” by Lyon teammate Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

United are said to be eyeing a cut-price £20m move for Cherki this summer as he has just one year remaining on his Lyon contract come the summer. He has already made 179 appearances for Lyon at the tender age of 21, scoring 28 goals and providing 43 assists in that time. He has also been linked with Premier League rivals Chelsea and Liverpool, who are alert to his contract situation at Lyon.

One of those goals came last week against the Red Devils as he pounced on a fumbled shot from Andre Onana to equalise in the 95th minute for the French side. The two clubs go into Thursday’s second leg all square at 2-2 as they target a spot in the last four of the Europa League.

Rayan Cherki hailed as best natural talent by Maitland-Niles

Maitland-Niles, 27, came through the academy at Arsenal and spent nine years at the Emirates Stadium. He did have a number of loan spells during his time contracted to the Gunners before moving to Lyon permanently in 2023.

He played with the likes of Bukayo Saka at Arsenal and had a brief spell with England as he earned five caps in 2020 playing alongside the likes of Phil Foden, Harry Kane, Jack Grealish and several others.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Maitland-Niles said of Cherki: "He is the best natural talent I've ever seen. An absolute master, a wizard with the ball."

He continued: "He is taking chances, assists and dragging us up the pitch by taking people on and nutmegging them - he is a genius. He is two-footed, has no fear, keeps going and going, can get past people with such ease, such finesse. He is now working for the team off the ball and has gone to another level this season."

Why Rayan Cherki could be available this summer

Back in November, Lyon were issued with a transfer ban and provisionally relegated from Ligue 1 come the end of the season. French’s football’s financial body, The National Directorate of Management Control, issued the punishment due to a staggering financial debt at the club of around €505m.

Lyon looked to claw back some of that debt in January as they sold Saïd Benrahma, Anthony Lopes, and Maxence Caqueret who were said to be some of the highest earners at the club. However, according to a report from L’Équipe in late March, the club still have more work to do to satisfy the The National Directorate of Management Control’s requirements. Former Arsenal player Alexandre Lacazette is on a big wage and is set to leave at the end of the season.

However, Cherki is a player who could also be moved on if Lyon are to avoid being demoted to the French second tier. His contract situation combined with Lyon’s troubled finances give United and other clubs interested a major opportunity in the market to sign him for a cut-price fee. He can play in a number of positions across the front-line and would provide goals, assists and versatility to Ruben Amorim - something the United boss does not really have at his disposal currently.