Liverpool have made the first move to sign ‘dangerous’ player who once caught Kylian Mbappe’s eye

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Liverpool have made their first moves of the summer transfer window just days before the deadline.

The Reds have waited a long time to solidify what they’re looking to do in the market, with Arne Slot wanting to get a good look at his squad first.

But after the new head coach made some decisions on the players available to him, Liverpool have finally dipped into the market.

The signing of Giorgi Mamardashvili was completed on Tuesday before the 23-year-old goalkeeper headed out on-loan to Valencia.

On Wednesday, Liverpool struck an agreement to sign Federico Chiesa, with the Italian on the way to Merseyside to complete the deal. And as Chiesa prepares to sign, the Reds were reportedly moving in the background once again.

Liverpool make late enquiry for Rayan Cherki

While late is better than never where the transfer market is concerned, Liverpool supporters are unlikely to be satisfied with just the two additions.

Neither Mamardashvili nor Chiesa address the real problems within the current first-team squad, as good a players as they are.

As a result, there will still be hope that Liverpool can do something else in defence or in midfield.

And according to French outlet L’Equipe, the Reds have indeed ‘made enquiries’ over another player.

READ MORE: When Liverpool are likely to finalise move for Federico Chiesa

Bizarrely, that player is said to have been Lyon’s Rayan Cherki, with the 21-year-old reportedly available for just £12m before Friday’s deadline.

Lyon are claimed to have already accepted bids of that price from Fulham and PSG for Cherki this summer. But the player has turned both clubs down.

There is no further detail given surrounding Liverpool’s interest and there is even a suggestion that the Frenchman may actually end up signing a new contract with Lyon.

Where does Rayan Cherki play?

While the transfer fee for Cherki could easily fall into the category of ‘opportunistic’ for Liverpool, the move itself would not make a lot of sense.

Cherki definitely has potential to be a quality player, but he has not kicked on an awful lot since catching Kylian Mbappe’s eye back in 2020.

At that time, Cherki was a prodigious 16-year-old coming into the first-team and then Lyon manager Rudi Garcia called Cherki a ‘dangerous’ player.

But as high as his ceiling is, the France international is another versatile forward who can fill positions across the front line.

Consequently, we’d suggest that if Liverpool did enquire about Cherki, it was likely as an alternative to Chiesa, rather than as well as him. Opinion will differ on who would have been the better signing, but we think the Italian is a more immediate fit.