French Journalist Claims Liverpool Have 'Agreed €70m Deal' to Sign Ligue 1 Superstar This Summer
Liverpool have agreed to sign highly-rated Lyon star Nabil Fekir this summer for a fee of €70m, according to RMC journalist Loic Tanzi.
A report published L'Equipe at the weekend had initially stated that the talented forward had already agreed terms to leave Ligue 1 at the end of the current season - with a potential new club unnamed at that point - because he had worked an agreement into his recently signed contract that he could move on if a big money offer came in.
Confirmation de l’info de Fekir et Liverpool. 70 millions bonus compris. Départ avec son frère Yassin.Liverpool tente aussi Dembele #Mercato
— Loïc Tanzi (@Tanziloic) May 6, 2018
It was likely that a host of top sides would have been interested in signing Fekir - with Arsenal also strongly linked - but now it appears that Fekir and his brother Yassin could be on their way to Anfield. RMC even go one further and claim that the Reds are also targeting Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele moving forward.
Fekir is reported to have agreed a five-year deal, and that he was in England a number of weeks ago to finalise the deal. Former Reds manager Gerard Houllier is reported to have played a big role in the transfer.
Lyon have since come out to deny the reports, with President Jean-Michel Aulas stating that the club still hope to keep Fekir and that no Liverpool contact has been made today (Sunday).
🎙️ @JM_Aulas: "We have had no contact with Liverpool today. @NabilFekir is here. We hope to keep him and have him playing the Champions League with us next year." #OLESTAC
— Olympique Lyonnais 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@OL_English) May 6, 2018
Liverpool have though already agreed a deal to sign Naby Keita at the start of July, but were always likely to sign more players to build upon their stunning Champions League form and challenge at the Premier League title.
Fekir would certainly fit into Liverpool's attacking style of play - having scored 22 goals and produced eight assists from midfield for Les Gones so far this season. The club are still believed to be looking for a long-term replacement for Philippe Coutinho, who left for Barcelona in January.
The Ivory Coast international is understood to be desperate to play European football next season, and will look to end his second spell with his boyhood club in the pursuit of furthering his career with a Premier League giant.
