Nabil Fekir Tells Real Betis the Two Clubs He Would Consider Offers From
By Dom Smith
Nabil Fekir has told Real Betis that he intends to stay in Seville this summer, despite attracting interest from around Europe.
The French World Cup winner joined Betis for just £18m in the summer, a fraction of the price Liverpool were reportedly willing to sign him for before a reported knee injury scuppered the move, and has shone in the midfield of the mid-table Spanish side.
Fekir had recently been the subject of numerous transfer rumours linking him to Newcastle, Milan and Arsenal. This news will disappoint the three clubs, if indeed they were scouting him.
According to Spanish football outlet Marca, Fekir told Betis that he wishes to remain at the club, who he joined after six years as a senior player at Lyon, where he had also come through the academy.
He would reportedly only be interest if an approach for him came in from either of the Clásico sides, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Betis club president Ángel Haro commented on the situation, adding: “We have spoken with Fekir and he is very satisfied, not with the team’s performance, but with his stay in Seville, and he wants to continue. We would like him to continue, he is a player of great quality, and from there we will see, but we have not planned for [his] departure.”
The 26-year-old won the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award for 2014/15 while at Lyon and is valued at around £30m. Capped 24 times by France, Fekir is Betis’ star player and he found the back of the net in both games this season against Barça.
While this news will come as a blow to the teams that had set their sights on moving for the attacking midfielder, Newcastle in particular have other priorities to contend with currently — not least their potential £300m takeover currently being vetted by the Premier League.