Rising star Houssem Aouar is set to sign a new long-term deal with Lyon despite heavy interest from Liverpool, according to reports.
L’Equipe report that the 19-year-old midfielder is currently in advanced discussions with his boyhood club over an extension, with Liverpool and Barcelona taking notice after his good form this season.
RMC Sport claim that Aouar is set to put pen to paper on a deal that will see him remain at Lyon until 2023, with that three-year extension seeing the youngster receive a large pay rise.
The broadcaster report that Liverpool have held a ‘strong interest’ in Aouar for a while now, with the Reds in regular contact with Lyon since the versatile ace was very young.
Aouar made 44 appearances for Lyon this season, scoring seven goals and providing six assists in all competitions.
OPINION
This will be a blow for the Reds, who have reportedly been tracking the talented youngster for a long while, but Aouar is not the Lyon player that Liverpool will be most bothered about. Nabil Fekir is the one that the club want, and amid heavy speculation over the last week or so, it looks likely that the 24-year-old will eventually arrive on Merseyside this summer. Aouar will obviously be loathe to see Fekir leave, but that may give him the space to develop further at Lyon, and give him something to aspire to in the future. On the Fekir front, it now looks highly unlikely that the Reds will be able to seal a deal before the World Cup starts in just nine days time, and Reds fans will likely have to wait until the weeks following the tournament to see the exciting forward holding up a Liverpool shirt.
