Newcastle United could be handed golden opportunity to sign £17m Frenchman amid club woes

Last night it was announced that French giants Olympique Lyonnaise had been handed a provisional relegation to Ligue 2 as well as a transfer ban due to financial troubles.

This comes quickly on the heels of Bordeaux dropping out of professional football for a while before having to start from the bottom for the exact same reasons.

Newcastle United have a good history with Lyon in terms of transfers, with Bruno Guimaraes arriving at Newcastle from Ligue 1 side.

However, despite the good relationship, Newcastle may still look to exploit Lyon's problems for their own game as they could now make a move for long-term target Rayan Cherki.

Newcastle could pounce to try and land Rayan Cherki on the cheap

Newcastle have been admirers of Rayan Cherki for a while now, and with Lyon strapped for cash and facing the threat of relegation, they could be looking to cash in on a couple of players in January.

The 21-year-old attacking midfielder can play as a CAM or on either wing and would be a quality addition to Newcastle's side.

After Craig Hope dropped the bomb in his latest YouTube video that he is hearing that Newcastle won't have the money to pursue Bryan Mbeumo in January, a cut-price move for Cherki could be the answer.

Lyon may be powerless to stop Rayan Cherki from moving on in January

Fulham tried to land Cherki in the summer but their £12 million bid failed, while reports suggested Newcastle were lining up a £17 million bid themselves.

Meanwhile, Lyon's president John Textor has said that he expects Cherki to stay beyond January but won't stand in his way should a good offer come along.

Lyon were believed to value Cherki at around £47 million in the summer, with Textor saying that he's worth more now. However, they may not be able to be so steadfast in their negotiations given their circumstances.