Nabil Fekir has candidly admitted that he was “very disappointed” that his transfer to Liverpool in 2018 failed to materialise.
The 28-year-old enjoyed a superb 2017-18 campaign with Lyon and emerged as a top target for Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp in the 2018 summer transfer window.
Fekir made 40 appearances across all competitions for Lyon in the aforementioned season and scored 23 times and registered eight assists.
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Liverpool significantly strengthened their squad in the 2018 window with the acquisitions of Alisson, Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri.
The Reds were on the verge of sealing a sensational £53m move for Fekir before the deal with Lyon collapsed.
Fekir remained with Lyon for the 2018-19 campaign, but he has insisted that it was a “dark moment” when his move to Anfield didn’t happen.
The Real Betis player told The Times: “It was a dark moment. I saw plenty of things which weren’t true. It was said the knee stopped me going to Liverpool but that wasn’t true.
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“I went to Clairefontaine [France’s football centre near Paris], and they did all the proof [medical] and the knee was fine.
“I had a problem with my agent, my adviser. It was the agent [who was] responsible for the deal not going through.”
Fekir left Lyon in 2019 and completed a £17.7m move to Betis on a five-year deal.
The France international revealed that he was “even more” keen to sign for Liverpool in 2018 after he met Klopp.
“Of course I was disappointed not to go to Liverpool, very disappointed because Liverpool are a great club,” he continued.
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“I met the coach, Jurgen Klopp, and it went well. After meeting him, I wanted to join Liverpool even more. He’s a good person.
“It was really difficult to deal with as I really wanted to go to Liverpool. It was a moment that was not easy for me.”
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