Liverpool’s £53m move for Nabil Fekir placed in doubt after delays• France international’s move on hold over fitness fears
• Liverpool had hoped to announce signing on FridayNabil Fekir’s proposed £53m move to Liverpool has been put on hold due to concerns over the France international’s fitness.Liverpool had hoped to announce the 24-year-old’s signing on Friday afternoon having reached agreement with Lyon over the terms of his transfer on Thursday, contrary to a strongly-worded denial by the French club.
The deal was so far advanced that Fekir had not only undergone a Liverpool medical in Paris and agreed personal terms on a five-year contract but conducted an introductory interview with LFCTV, the club’s in-house television channel.
An issue with the Lyon captain’s fitness, however, delayed the announcement and placed the transfer in doubt. The attacking midfielder, a key transfer target for Jürgen Klopp this summer, ruptured a cruciate ligament in September 2015 that caused him to miss the majority of the 2015-16 campaign. He also missed several weeks of last season with a knee problem.
The delay threatens Liverpool’s plans to secure their second major signing of the summer – and the second most expensive transfer in their history – before the World Cup. France play their final warm-up game against the United States in Lyon on Saturday and the manager Didier Deschamps wants all transfer business settled before the squad flies to Russia.
There would be greater consequences for Klopp’s summer transfer strategy should the issue remain unresolved. Liverpool’s manager views Fekir as a replacement for Philippe Coutinho and a perfect fit for a squad already strengthened by the acquisitions of the midfielders Fabinho and Naby Keita this summer. The club has also registered an interest in Xherdan Shaqiri, available for a release clause of between £12m-£13.5m following Stoke City’s relegation from the Premier League.
Lyon issued a statement on Friday morning denying Fekir was on the brink of moving to Merseyside. “Olympique Lyonnais categorically denies the false information disseminated by many media about the transfer of Nabil Fekir to Liverpool,” it read. “In this period of transfers where the slightest rumour is often presented as a reality, Olympique Lyonnais reminds that only the information disseminated by the club on its website is authentic.”
The statement, however, followed a breakthrough in negotiations between Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards and Lyon officials and an agreement that Fekir would cost an initial 55m euros plus 5m euros in bonuses.
Meanwhile Emre Can will leave Liverpool when his contract expires this summer. The 24-year-old moved to Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen in July 2014 for £10m and is expected to move to Juventus.
Jon Flanagan, who spent the end of last season on loan at Bolton, is also leaving Anfield.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jun/08/liverpool-nabil-fekir-transfer-in-doubt-injury
