Liverpool are once again linked with French international and Lyon star Nabil Fekir.
According to an exclusive report published by The Sunday Express, last year, The Reds almost signed the Les Bleus playmaker for £53million but Klopp will attempt to get him for a lower fee this time around.
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The British source have revealed that Man City have also joined the race to sign Fekir and Lyon are hoping to get somewhere near the £53million they wanted last year.
What happened last year:
Before the start of the 2018 World Cup, the Ligue 1 playmaker was perhaps very close to moving to Liverpool. If reports from last year are anything to go (Mirror Sport) by then the Reds had agreed a fee with Lyon and secured terms with the attacker as well.
However, after the medical, Liverpool had concerns over a knee injury that the player suffered few years back (The Telegraph) and Lyon opted to end the negotiations with the Merseysiders.
Fekir’s playing position and stats:
Fekir mainly plays in the hole behind the striker. This season, Lyon has mostly used the 25-year-old star in the following two positions:
- Central Attacking Midfield
- Secondary Striker
He featured in 39 games in all competitions for the French club, scored 12 goals and provided 9 assists. In the Champions League, he was impressive in the group stages as he directly contributed in 5 goals in as many starts. (Stats via Transfermarkt).
In the opening CL contest vs Manchester City, the Lyon captain scored a goal and provided an assist to help his side earn all three points at the Etihad Stadium.
Coutinho’s replacement:
The Sunday Express have revealed that Liverpool could return to finally sign Fekir to replace Coutinho.
Liverpool sold the Brazilian international in the winter transfer window of 2018 and lured Van Dijk, moreover, in the summer (2018), the Reds signed Alisson and last night, the two big money signings helped the Reds win their 6th European Cup.
Klopp has not replaced the former Inter Milan playmaker as yet. The Samba star played for us in multiple attacking and midfield positions. Before joining Barca, he directly contributed in 20 goals in as many games in the 2017-18 campaign for Liverpool (Transfermarkt).
In all fairness, the Anfield club have not missed Coutinho at all but I do agree with club legend Phil Thompson (Sky Sports via The Metro), who recently claimed that the Reds should continue to improve and strengthen the squad while they are on top.
Have your say – Should Liverpool move to sign Nabil Fekir?
