Ever so close to signing for Liverpool last year only for that deal to collapse before his very eyes, Nabil Fékir isn’t having the same summer in terms of interest this time around.
Twelve months later, and clubs aren’t exactly battling it out for the France international, who didn’t have an awful season last year, even if it wasn’t his best.
However, some clubs appear to be looking at him from a distance, including Arsenal, according to France Football.
This certainly isn’t the first time the Gunners have been linked with Fékir, but with their limited budget and a big Mesut Özil shaped problem standing in everyone’s way, a transfer seems unlikely for the time being.
That’s why Real Betis are being touted as the most keen, ready to make ‘big efforts’ to lure the 25-year-old to Seville, which they’ll need as he isn’t jumping at the opportunity just yet.
The La Liga club are willing to go as far as offering him €7m/year, all the while paying Lyon between €25-30m for the last year of his contract and potentially signing his younger brother with a view of loaning him to a second-tier side in Spain.
Despite all this, Fékir is ‘hoping for more’ purely on the level of the project being offered, ‘following the more distant interest from Arsenal and Milan’.
It appears the attacking midfielder is happy to wait and see if better clubs manifest an interest over the next few weeks instead of accepting Betis’ offer.
In fact, he could have the largest of helping hands, as Jorge Mendes is reportedly now involved in his Lyon exit and would help facilitate a move to a ‘European top four’.
However, if none of this goes Fékir’s way, he could end up signing a new deal in Lyon (to avoid him leaving on a free next summer) and staying an extra year.
