Tottenham Hotspur have upped the ante in their pursuit of beating Premier League rivals to the acquisition of Rayan Cherki by entering discussions over a deal to lure the Lyon star to Hotspur Way as preparations are made for the summer transfer window, GIVEMESPORT sources have revealed.
Although Spurs have an obligation to buy Kevin Danso for £20.9million in the coming weeks and boss Ange Postecoglou is fully focused on the Europa League final against Manchester United, when the north Londoners will have an opportunity to end their lengthy wait for silverware, members of the recruitment department are pinpointing potential arrivals.
A final decision still needs to be made on whether to take advantage of a £45million option to buy Mathys Tel at the end of his loan switch from Bayern Munich, but Tottenham are still showing interest in Cherki as they go in search of bringing in further creativity and firepower in the final third of the pitch.
Spurs are Prime Contenders to Recruit Cherki
North Londoners up ante in pursuit of France under-21 international
Tottenham are leading contenders to sign Cherki when the transfer window reopens for business in the summer, according to GMS sources, after deciding to make fresh contact this month to gain more knowledge about what it would take to beat domestic rivals to his signature and get the deal over the line.
The winger is preparing to enter the final 12 months of a contract which allows him to pocket close to £65,000-per-week, resulting in Spurs sniffing an opportunity to pounce as there is an awareness that Lyon will not want to take the risk of him walking away as a free agent at the end of next season.
GMS sources have been informed that Tottenham are in danger of facing an uphill battle to persuade Cherki to join as, having registered 31 goal involvements in all competitions this term, he has pinpointed newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool as his preferred destination.
There have also been suggestions that the Merseyside heavyweights have enquired over the possibility of landing the France under-21 international, having seen him snub the chance to complete a switch to Paris Saint-Germain last year, which could complicate matters for Postecoglou if he remains in charge beyond the end of the campaign.
But GMS sources have learned that Tottenham are still in the hunt for Cherki and a move to north London is a serious possibility because his representatives have been leaving the door open for Premier League sides to register their interest after Liverpool have been looking to recruit Bayer Leverkusen talisman Florian Wirtz instead.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Rayan Cherki has found the back of the net eight times despite having an expected goals ratio of just 4.89 in Ligue 1 this season
Cherki May Still Need Convincing to Seal Deal
Winger not impressed with Premier League position this season
GMS sources have been told that Cherki has refused to rule out the possibility of embarking on a fresh challenge at Tottenham after they have decided to enter fresh terms, but he will need to be persuaded to sign on the dotted line as their position in the Premier League and uncertainty over who will be at the helm next season have left him unconvinced.
The 21-year-old, who has been described as a 'future Ballon d'Or winner', has decided that he wants to leave Lyon ahead of the 2025/26 campaign and his representatives have been particularly keen to explore the possibility of him moving to the Premier League for the first time in his career.
Although Tottenham are firmly in the mix to land Cherki, GMS sources understand that his agent is preparing to sound out Arsenal, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Chelsea in the coming weeks in an attempt to discover their level of interest before he makes a final decision on his future.
Spurs are not only aiming to bolster their options on the flanks and, in a significant boost, GMS sources recently revealed that the capital club are in line to have an opportunity to land Dusan Vlahovic for a cut-price fee as low as £20million due to Juventus being eager to sanction the striker's departure.
All statistics courtesy of Sofascore - correct as of 15/05/2025