Lyon president, Jean-Michel Aulas has revealed that Chelsea passed on the opportunity to sign Nabil Fekir this summer. The Frenchman was offered to the London side by the Ligue 1 club but they decided not to sign him as they had no interest in him.
“In the beginning, when we thought about our summer transfer window and how to organise the future squad, we thought that he [Fekir] was practically gone. That’s why we have been able to adapt things,” said Jean-Michel Aulas.
Continuing to talk about the transfers, Aulas said, “We spoke with Chelsea representatives, and they had no interest at all in him. From then on, we realised we could change our plans [as he would stay].” (quotes via Daily Mail)
Fekris was close to joining Liverpool this summer but the Red opted out of the move at the last moment. They had agreed a deal with the French club and also the player but they decided not to sign him.
Reports suggest that he passed his medical with the Reds as well before the World Cup but the Anfield side have not made a comment on that. Leaked images have shown that Fekir had his photo shoot also done with Liverpool and had his interview done as well.
Chelsea have Ross Barkley, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Cesc Fabregas and now Mateo Kovacic (on loan) as well to play in that position. If needed, Eden Hazard has also played in that role and that might be the reason why they opted not to go for Fekir.
Moreover, Lyon wanted £60 million for the Frenchman and that might have made Chelsea think twice as well. Given his knee injury issues, the Blues would not have wanted to take the risk of paying a huge fee for him.
An academy graduate of Lyon, he was promoted to the senior squad in July 2013. Fekir became a first-team regular in his second season, when he was named the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year. He has since made over 150 appearances for Les Gones, also gaining team captaincy in 2017.
Fekir made his debut for France in March 2015 and was chosen in their squad that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup.