Chelsea are “pushing forward” with a move to sign Lyon attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki, according to 90min.com journalist Graeme Bailey.

Speaking on the ‘Talking Transfers’ podcast, Bailey said that the Blues have stepped up their efforts to snap up the teenager over the past couple of weeks and there is now a “good chance” of the deal being finalised:

“He is a player they like. It’s accelerated in the last few weeks actually this one. They were linked and there was talks about him when they were talking to Malo Gusto. Lyon were enquiring about [Christian] Pulisic and the name Cherki came up again.”

“My understanding is that Chelsea’s backroom staff are really pushing for this. They like him an awful lot. It will be interesting to see where we go here, but Chelsea are pushing forward with it…It’s one where Chelsea are hopeful.”

Up until recently, Mauricio Pochettino’s side had also been keen on signing another midfielder, Celta Vigo’s Gabri Veiga, but Bailey says interest in the Spanish Under 21 international has been dropped in favour of a move for Cherki:

“They were linked with Gabi Veiga, but I think he’s ahead of him in Chelsea’s pecking order now, keep an eye on this. There’s a good chance of this happening, this one. They are not a million miles away in terms of fee.”

How much will Chelsea have to pay for Cherki?

Lyon’s asking price is believed to be in the region of €5om (£43m) but it has has been reported that the Blues are hoping to do a deal closer to €40m (£34m).

If Chelsea do manage to secure Cherki’s signature, the Frenchman would be the London club’s sixth summer signing, with the likes of Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Diego Moreira, Alex Matos and Ishe Samuels-Smith having already arrived at Stamford Bridge.