Arsenal are likely to be busy in the summer transfer window as Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta look to bolster their ranks.
Despite having had their fair share of issues this season, the Gunners are now favourites to reach the Champions League semi-finals, while they are still second in the Premier League table.
However, Arsenal will be eager to go all the way in the Premier League title race next year and also compete on multiple fronts, hence the need for reinforcements.
One attacking talent Arsenal are keen on signing has now been described by former Gunners talent Ainsley Maitland-Niles as “the best natural talent I’ve ever seen”.
Arsenal target Rayan Cherki deemed ‘an absolute master’ and a ‘wizard with the ball’
The player in question is Rayan Cherki, who has been making a real name for himself at Lyon and is now being checked out by the Premier League’s top sides.
TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey recently confirmed that Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Manchester United are all eyeing Cherki.
Maitland-Niles came through the ranks at Arsenal before joining Lyon on a free transfer in 2023, where he now counts Cherki among his teammates.
And the Hale End graduate, speaking ahead of Lyon’s Europa League meeting with Manchester United, could not sing Cherki’s praises highly enough.
“He is the best natural talent I’ve ever seen,” Maitland-Niles told BBC Sport. “An absolute master, a wizard with the ball.”
“He’s 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.”
How much Rayan Cherki could cost this summer
Cherki is understood to have an agreement with Lyon that will allow him to move on for less than £25million this summer.
Considering how much Cherki has improved in recent months and how much potential he has, this would make him a bargain signing for most of the Premier League’s top clubs.
In terms of Cherki’s success this season, the 21-year-old has operated either as a number 10 or on the right, making him a versatile option to compete with both Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.
However, Arsenal are not alone in their pursuit of Cherki, a player who has been compared to Eden Hazard, and so they’ll have a lot of work to do to get him to N5.
