The £48m man has seen the deal fall through after a statement from Lyon saying that their captain was staying at the club. There is all kind of information flying around varying from failed medicals to Liverpool wanting to re-negotiate the deal based on the results of said medical.
Personally I believe nothing – nobody seems to have any kind of inside track on this but the only thing that can be certain is that Liverpool absolutely wanted to bring the Lyon talisman to the club. Coupled with Naby Keita and Fabinho, who both join the club on the 1st July, Fekir looked like he was part of a total midfield revamp.
But in addition to this, the talented Frenchman can cover the three positions up front. If you look at our squad at the end of the season it is pretty obvious that there is a massive gap. The drop off from Firmino, Mané and Salah is eye watering. Had the Fekir transfer been completed, we would have had quality, versatile cover which we could have supplemented with Harry Wilson and perhaps Xherdan Shaqiri should we activate his Stoke City relegation release clause. Shaqiri to join Liverpool this summer is 4/7.
Stoke and Switzerland’s Xherdan Shaqiri has been linked with a move to Merseyside this summer.
There is a school of thought that Liverpool might be back in for Fekir after the completion of the World Cup but that isn’t one I subscribe to. Lyon have released strongly worded statements intimating that their captain is staying with them for the next campaign.
Given that there is plenty of evidence that Liverpool went so far as to complete an exclusive interview for the in house TV channel with Fekir, it’s fair to say someone has applied the handbrake on this transfer. Negotiations with Jean-Michel Aulas have proven to be an uncomfortable experience and he is not likely to want to lose face by re-entering negotiations with Liverpool. It is also very clear that Fekir is afforded huge levels of respect by everyone connected to Lyon.
We don’t know the full story currently and probably never will. Lyon’s firebrand chairman has had plenty to say on the matter, the Reds have kept their counsel and said nothing. But what is clear is that Liverpool need to move on. Dembele to join Liverpool this summer is 7/4.
I am personally devastated that this deal seems to have fallen through because Fekir has looked impressive every time I have seen him. However, the one person to feel sorry for here is the Frenchman. He has been willing to leave a club where he is more than a captain and put that on the line to come and join Liverpool only for it to be snatched away at the last minute.
I also have some sympathy for Jürgen Klopp. Our manager only goes for his number one targets and that was clearly Fekir. However, Klopp is now going to have to pursue alternative targets. We desperately need another creative player and we also need someone who can play up front and chip in with goalscoring should anything happen to our front three. Fekir ticked both of those boxes in one go.
So now we need to look at an alternate. In a World Cup year, where teams are looking to get business done early, the failure of this transfer for whatever reason, presents us with a bit of a problem. It is going to take some skilful work from Klopp and FSG to get our summer spending back on track.
France to win the World Cup is 6/1 with RedsBet.
