Nabil Fekir hints at probable exit from Lyon

Lyon captain Nabil Fekir has hinted that he could be leaving the Ligue 1 club during the summer transfer window. The France international left the playing field in tears following Lyon’s 3-2 win over Nice on Saturday night and shortly after the game, the attacker admitted that he could pursue a fresh challenge elsewhere.

He said: “I don’t know, frankly. I had a great season here, with the staff, the crowd and exceptional players. I gave everything for Lyon, we’ll see for the future. Even if all was not perfect this season, we finished well. It’s been four years since I’ve been pro and it’s one of my greatest joys (to finish third). Maybe, maybe, and as I told you, this game was very important to me.We will have a discussion with the president (Jean-Michael Aulas). We’ll see how it goes.”

Fekir stood out for Les Gones following the departure of Alexandre Lacazette last summer and over the course of the 2017/18 season, the attacker contributed 18 goals and eight assists to help to a third place finish in the French league. As such, Les Gones have been rewarded with a Champions League group stage spot ahead of Marseille but this does not appear to assure Fekir’s stay for next season.

According to reports, Fekir is reportedly the leading target for Liverpool, who are yet to find a replacement for Philippe Coutinho in their ranks. The Merseyside outfit are alleged to have already held discussions with the player’s representative and it is rumoured that a fee of around £62m is likely to entice Lyon into sanctioning Fekir’s departure with their blessings.

Liverpool ended their Premier League campaign with a fourth place finish which assures them of Champions League football and they could yet win the same competition this term as they face-off against Real Madrid in the final next weekend.