Despite RMC Sport getting everyone excited about Nabil Fekir potentially ending up at Liverpool as soon as the transfer window opened, there’s very little chance of a deal getting done anytime soon.
The Lyon forward is currently with the France national team preparing for the World Cup, and with the tournament starting in exactly a week, there’s very little time to get it over the line.
In fact, any transfer will have to wait until July, at the earliest, according to the Ligue 1 club’s president, Jean-Michel Aulas.
Speaking to Lyon’s official website, he said: “The deal is at a standstill. Nothing has happened. The whole thing will certainly not be completed during the World Cup, and I don’t think anything will change before it. We haven’t set a starting price because we haven’t discussed that yet”.
This means that any stories including anything along the lines of ‘minimum €60m’ and so forth shouldn’t be taken all that seriously just yet.
As Arsenal discovered for the Alexandre Lacazette deal, Aulas is well known tough-negotiator, and Liverpool will have to really stroke his ego if they are to get Fekir this summer.
And by stroke his ego, we mean put a lot of money on the table. In July.
