Liverpool and Arsenal Target Fekir’s Agent Talks Potential Transfer Move

The midfielder’s agent says any deal would have to show respect to Lyon, opening the door to a summer move.

Nabil Fekir, a rumoured target for both Liverpool and Arsenal in recent months, could move on from Lyon—but if he does so it would be a move done with respect—according to his agent, who has opened the door to a summer departure for the 24-year-old midfielder.

Fekir, a versatile attacking midfielder, would seem suited to playing opposite Naby Keïta in a shuttling role in Liverpool’s 4-3-3, and that has made him a favourite potential target for Reds fans—even though any actual links to Liverpool have been largely speculative.

“First and foremost we would respect Lyon,” Fekir’s agent told the French press this week. “We know that, at some point, we may have to ask questions about a move. However, any decision will be taken with intelligence and in the interests of all parties.

“When you leave the club that trained you, to whom you owe everything, you must leave on good terms—if you have to leave. Nabil has the personal goal of being part of a top ten club in Europe, and he has that potential, but a career is built little by little.”

Fekir has scored an impressive 21 goals and six assists in 34 total appearances for Lyon this season while playing mostly in an attacking midfield role, but he has also spent time on the right of midfield and even played as a forward in his time at the French club.

That kind of versatility—and that he tends to play shaded to the right while incoming midfield dynamo Keïta often plays shaded to the left—would seem to make him a good fit, though he wouldn’t offer anything like the same defensive tenacity as Keïta.

Though there has been talk of Arsenal bidding £45M him, it’s difficult to see Fekir going for less than £60M. And while the usual questions about translating his game from the French league apply, he has the potential to make a difference for nearly any club.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com