Liverpool fans have been handed a huge boost in their hopes of signing Olympique Lyonnais attacker Nabil Fekir as the president of the French Football Federation confirmed he expects a deal to go through.
The Reds have been engaged in a transfer saga for the 24-year-old this summer and just when it looked like a deal would be completed before the World Cup kicked off, the Telegraph claimed that major doubts had emerged over his medical in a potential bombshell for the stunning £53million deal.
However, the Anfield faithful will be handed renewed hope after Noel De Graet, the French chief, suggested that a deal would be happening regardless, insisting that the medical undertaken was “positive”.
He told Le Progres: “I saw Nabil this morning for a quarter of an hour. He is a boy who is down to earth. It is being negotiated and I think it will be done.
“This does not prevent him from being very concerned by the France team. He has a very good state of mind. It would be better for him if his transfer was recorded before the departure for Russia, but it did not seem disturbed to me.
“I felt optimistic about it because the medical visit he had was positive. In a transfer, it’s always like that.”
Opinion
This has been a massive roller-coaster of emotions for the Liverpool fans, who will no doubt be desperate to see Fekir in the famous red shirt sooner rather than later. It seemed that a deal was so close, only to have that hope cruelly snatched away with the stunning revelation over a potential issue in his medical. While nothing is certain, De Graet’s comments might help settle the nerves and renew confidence that Jurgen Klopp will secure the club’s second signing of the summer, not including the arrival of Naby Keita. It may be that the Fekir deal drags out a little longer as a result of his national duty with France but with talks seemingly done and dusted, it can only be a matter of time until either club announces that something is happening. Whether that is before the French team jet off to Russia remains to be seen. As for Klopp, he will turn his attentions to the next target on his list, which could be in his defence after bolstering in the final third of the pitch.