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I wish I could be here reporting good news, “Breaking News” banner and all, but that does not appear to be the case. Instead of a “Fekir Friday,” we’re getting a “Normal Saturday” (and sorry for the lack of alliteration).
It seems that instead of an imminent official announcement following a supposed “breakthrough” on Thursday night, we might be having to wait tight, possibly until the end of the World Cup.
This morning, The Echo are reporting that a deal “is not expected...in the near future.”
Oh.
The good news, insofar as there is good news, is that the hang up appears to be on Lyon’s side of things, not from Liverpool or the player.
According the report, there were enough concerns over Fekir’s knee to seek a second opinion, but those fears were not enough to completely scupper the deal.
Moreover, Liverpool were so confident of getting the deal over the line after the medical, that the French international had completed the normal media rounds in a Liverpool kit for Liverpool TV. Some of those images have since apparently leaked on social media.
However, there is something holding this deal up. From Lyon’s side, some of the speculation was over their status as a publicly traded company. But the stock market closing bell came and went without an official announcement. Whatever the hold up is, it is looking increasingly likely that this could drag on for a few more weeks yet.
Without an official announcement today (which, again, seems unlikely according to The Echo’s reporting), Liverpool fans could be in for a long wait.
France play their final warm up friendly tonight in Paris, before jetting off to Russia. Didier Deschamps, France national team manager, has reportedly told his players they would not be allowed to leave during the World Cup to complete transfer business.
Lyon’s stance all along has been that they wanted to wait until after the World Cup to complete the transfer (in hopes of extracting a few more extra quid after a stand out performance). Klopp & Co. wanted to wrap up the deal before the World Cup, but for now it looks like the Ligue 1 side has gotten their wish.