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Lyon and French under-21 star Rayan Cherki is reportedly eligible to represent the Italian national team at senior level, and the Italian delegation has reportedly made contact with their French counterparts to try to get him to play for Luciano Spalletti rather than Didier Deschamps.
The 21-year-old has won 20 caps for the France U21 team, scoring 12 goals in the process. He also scored twice and appeared in every match at the Paris Olympics this summer. However, he has not yet been called up to the French senior team.
At just 21 years old, Cherki is already a regular in Ligue 1, having made his professional debut at the age of 16 in 2019. He has already played 152 matches with Lyon A, including 123 in the league.
He is also Lyon’s youngest goalscorer, having found the net at the age of 16 years and 140 days.
France U21 star Cherki eligible for Italy national team
Cherki was born in France and is of Algerian descent, but according to Corriere dello Sport he also has Italian heritage through his paternal grandmother. The grandparent in question would be of Pouglian origin.
French media outlet RMC claims that the Italian delegation took advantage of Italy U21’s recent 2-2 draw against France, in which Cherki scored, to discuss the possibility of convincing him to play for the Azzurri with their representatives .
