Liverpool are believed to be eyeing a potential move for Manchester City attacker Rayan Cherki, seeing him as a potential replacement for Florian Wirtz.

The Reds are still waiting to see the best version of Wirtz, with the German now in his second season at the club, and Jamie Carragher has raised huge doubts about him already this season, bemoaning one performance:

“That was one of the poorest I’ve ever seen him in a Liverpool shirt. I’ve been critical of the fact that he hasn’t got the numbers. But normally when you watch Wirtz, he’s neat and tidy, he keeps possession, there’s things that you like. He gets out of a tight situation where you’re normally expecting your player to lose the ball.

“But the reason I worry is, I don’t think Wirtz is in poor form since he came to Liverpool. I actually think what we’re seeing is what he is. And I was worried for Wirtz probably 12 months ago.

“And maybe that was a little bit early to say that, but I didn’t say it. It was just in the back of my head. I commentated on Liverpool away at Burnley and Liverpool won with a late penalty from Mo Salah. And when I was watching that game it was what I’ve seen for the last 12 months.”

Now, according to a report from TEAMtalk, Liverpool are “maintaining their interest” in Cherki, amid City’s ongoing woes after being found guilty of financial breaches.

It is claimed that the Reds “looked into” the idea of signing the France international from Lyon before he moved to the Etihad in a £34m deal last year, but ultimately missed out on him.

Could Rayan Cherki be a viable option for Liverpool?

With City potentially facing serious punishments for their financial wrongdoing, it is only natural that some of their players will be linked with a move away in 2027.

Cherki is one of the most gifted players in the Premier League, possessing so much natural talent, with Zinedine Zidane making it clear how highly he thinks of him as a player:

“Yes, well yes (I would have liked to play with him), he’s a proper footballer. But it’s not just that – everyone knows that. What interests me is what he’s capable of doing without the ball. He’s capable of receiving the ball between the lines; he makes incredible passes. Two or three times, when he plays vertically, it can be immediately effective.”

For that reason, the idea of Cherki in a Liverpool shirt is a mouthwatering prospect, but for now, they need to trust Wirtz and back him to become a success story at Anfield. He has won the Bundesliga Player of the Year award twice for a reason.

The German has shown this brilliance on international duty this week, scoring and assisting in a 2-0 win over Serbia, and Andoni Iraola has to build a balanced team around him to get the best out of him.

So for now, Liverpool shouldn’t be looking at signing Cherki, but if things change, he is a player who could light up Anfield with his magic in the final third.