Gaining possession inside the opposing penalty area and skillfully putting the ball in the net for his first of the evening, before cutting from the right to finish with force for his second, Rayan Cherki demonstrated the qualities by excellence of a Liverpool striker against Brondby in the Europa League on Thursday night.

The performance will undoubtedly have caught the attention of Liverpool who have reportedly followed the 18-year-old winger since 2019 after making his Champions League debut at 16.

Cherki produced a dominant display against Brondby, bombarding Lyon’s right flank from top to bottom and causing many problems for opposition defenders.

His explosive nature, deadly finish and nimble dribbling ability reminded Mohamed Salah at his best, and it’s no surprise the teenager is considered the best prospect to have emerged in France since Kylian Mbappé.

Mbappé may have escaped the Reds, but Cherki, valued at £ 20.7million by Transfermarkt, might not be.

Lyon have reportedly been willing to sell the young star this summer according to RMC, and their position is unlikely to have changed, with current boss Peter Bosz not using the youngster as often as one might expect.

Cherki has accumulated just 188 minutes of Ligue 1 football despite his excellence in the Europa League, scoring twice and registering two assists in just three games and the winger scoring four goals in three caps for the French Under-18 team. 21 years old.

Cherki is not the first nascent talent that Lyon has overlooked in recent years.

Amine Gouiri, who has also been on Liverpool’s radar, was another who didn’t have many opportunities at the club before moving to Nice and thriving in a new environment enough to attract the attention of a party of the European elite.

Cherki could seek to emulate his counterpart and Liverpool could capitalize on his situation to land him on a budget, especially since he is well suited to Liverpool’s style of play and has similar characteristic traits to Salah.

One of Europe’s most proficient dribbling and creative outlets, Cherki averages 13.43 progressive runs for 90, ranking him in the 99th percentile according to FBref. Meanwhile, he ranks in the 91st percentile for shot-making actions averaging 4.66 for 90 and the 87th percentile for key passes scoring 2.33 for 90.

He is someone who, like Salah, has a knack for making important contributions to goals. In 54 appearances for Lyon and 1,804 minutes of action, Cherki averages 0.84 goal contributions for 90.

Cherki is a diamond in the rough, and there are still aspects of his game that need to improve, but Jürgen Klopp has a unique ability when it comes to player development and the Liverpool boss could make the most of the 18-year-old. .

Learning and training alongside some of the best forwards in the world could also be a major benefit to his development.

Given Lyon’s announced position, Liverpool are expected to try to tempt Cherki with a bold bid in January and secure the signing of one of Europe’s most talented teenagers.