Liverpool linked with bold £38m double transfer swoop for highly-rated duo as key decision reached

Premier League title hopefuls Liverpool are rumoured to be planning an ambitious double swoop for a highly-rated Ligue 1 duo.

Spanish outlet Fichajes claims that Liverpool are interested in bringing in Lyon pair Malick Fofana and Rayan Cherki to strengthen the team’s wide options amid uncertainty surrounding the long-term future of talisman Mohamed Salah.

The Egyptian netted a match-winning brace against Southampton to reach 12 goals across all competitions this season, but faces an uncertain future at the club after admitting he is yet to receive a new contract offer.

The 32-year-old, who is in the final months of his contract at Anfield, told the Liverpool Echo: “Well, we are almost in December and I haven’t received any offers yet to stay in the club, (so) I’m probably more out than in.

“You know I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this. But in the end it is not in my hands. As I said before, it is December and I haven’t received anything yet about my future.”

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Salah’s long-term future at Anfield remains up in the air at this stage, but his latest comments will only amplify Arne Slot’s desire for further reinforcements. Both Fofana and Cherki are expected to be available this summer due to ongoing financial problems behind the scenes with French heavyweights Lyon.

Earlier this month, the National Directorate of Management Control (DNCG) handed Lyon a transfer ban for the January window and provisional relegation from France’s top tier at the end of the campaign as a result of financial mismanagement. Lyon will avoid relegation to Ligue 2 if they can drastically improve their precarious financial situation by the end of the campaign, with concerns escalating around their mounting debt, which the club recently report has grown by £409m.

Cherki is blessed with quick feet, imagination and flair, and has long been regarded as a top target for Liverpool. The France Under-21 international, who can play as both a winger and a central attacking midfielder, has always been out of Liverpool’s price range but could now be available for a cut price fee of £16.6m.

Over the course of his career, the 21-year-old, who is compared in terms of playing style to Hatem Ben Arfa, has registered 19 goals and 28 assists in 152 matches across all competitions. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Belgian international Malick Fofana, who only arrived from Gent in January, has managed to register nine goals and three assists from 37 appearances at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.

He is primarily a left sided winger, renowned for his incredible pace, agility and dribbling skills. He is understood to be valued at around £21m, according to TeamTalk.