OPINION
Liverpool fans were left bitterly disappointed in the summer when a big-money move for Lyon star Nabil Fekir fell through at the eleventh hour.
A deal looked all but done as Liverpool and Lyon agreed a fee for the France international, but an issue discovered in a medical examination saw negotiations collapse.
Despite Liverpool’s insistence that their interest in Fekir is now completely finished, there are still those who believe that they may reignite their hunt at a later date.
Fekir is out of contract at Lyon in 2020, and is extremely likely to move on from the Ligue 1 club at the end of the season after five years of service.
In fact, president Jean-Michael Aulas is now seeking a meeting with Fekir “before the holidays”, as Lyon attempt to figure out the best move for the club moving forward, as reported by Le Progres.
It is suggested by the French newspaper that Aulas will try to get Fekir to sign a new contract at Lyon before agreeing an exit in the summer, a move which would allow the club to get a bigger fee, with his value having fallen since the summer.
While there is no inkling given as to whether Fekir would agree such a deal, the likelihood is surely that he would be reluctant to limit his future options in such a way.
Whatever happens in this meeting in the coming weeks, Liverpool must make sure to keep a close eye on developments regarding Fekir’s future.
The 25-year-old is a seriously good player, and he would add huge quality to the Liverpool ranks in place of players such as Adam Lallana, who is likely to leave the club at some point soon.
Should Fekir enter the final year of his contract in the summer then he will likely be available for a much-improved price than that Liverpool were prepared to pay in the summer.
And, should his ‘dodgy’ knee hold up until then as well, then Liverpool would seemingly have nothing to lose in going back in for the France international maestro.
