Nabil Fekir’s pending transfer to Liverpool has been delayed for financial reasons, according to RMC Sport.
The French outlet report firstly that Lyon, as a publicly listed club, are not allowed to announce any deals before the official opening of the French transfer window on the 9th of June, and so have denied any deal being struck as of yet.
RMC also claim that the Ligue 1 club are keen to register Fekir’s sale in next season’s accounts, which would mean that the transfer cannot go through until the 30th of June.
It is said that Lyon’s accounts for 2017/18 are already healthy from the sales of Alexandre Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso, and president Jean-Michael Aulas would like the Fekir profits to therefore be part of next term’s accounts.
OPINION
While the situation remains far from ideal for Liverpool, the reasons for the delay given here are far less worrying than those reported elsewhere. Those other reports have suggested that an issue emerged during Fekir’s medical, with Liverpool wanting to get a second opinion on the France international’s knee. Fekir suffered a serious knee injury a few seasons ago and also missed a chunk of 2017/18 with a knee issue, and Liverpool had reportedly become worried about the situation. Those obstacles would have threatened the deal itself, whereas these financial reasons seem to be simply delaying it. While it will be a blow for the Reds to not push this deal through before the World Cup, it is simply a timing issue, and they should get their man soon enough. The club may now be hoping that Fekir does not shine on the world stage, as a storming tournament from the Lyon man could potentially push his value up and lead to a more expensive deal for the Reds. However, it seems as though a price has been agreed, and that should hopefully see a deal struck at that level in the coming weeks.
