Olympique Lyon President Jean-Michel Aulas said that a ‘change of heart’ from Liverpool’s end was the reason he ended talks with the club over a move for Nabil Fekir. Last summer, Fekir was on course to join Liverpool. However, the deal fell through at the 11th hour. Many have speculated that Fekir’s history of knee injuries is the reason Liverpool did not sign him. Aulas said that this wasn’t the reason.
He said, “At the final moment, the three parties did not find an agreement, but not just Liverpool and Lyon, who had had an agreement. There was a change of heart from Liverpool’s point of view, as we were in a tight situation in that Nabil was about to go to the World Cup, we decided to finish [talks]. Nabil at the time was OK with all of that.”
Aulas dismissed reports claiming the deal fell through due to medical reasons. He said, “I think it was one of the arguments that was used on the Liverpool side, but personally I do not think it was the real reason.”
Nabil Fekir has been a part of Lyon since 2011 when he joined the club’s youth setup. He joined the senior team in 2013 and has since played 168 matches for the club, scoring 61 goals and providing 41 assists. This season, Fekir has made 14 appearances for the club so far, scoring 4 goals and providing as many assists.
