Manchester United and Real Madrid were both interested in signing Rayan Cherki before he committed to a professional contract with Lyon, president Jean-Michel Aulas has revealed.
Cherki is considered one of the great rising stars in Ligue 1, and although he featured only on 12 occasions last season, he netted three goals to become the club’s youngest ever scorer and set up two more, catching the eye with his flair and confidence.
Even before he debuted for Lyon against Dijon last autumn, though, his talent had caused ripples across Europe and Aulas claims that two of the biggest clubs in the world were seeking to sign the 16-year-old prodigy.