Liverpool are reported to have agreed a £62 million fee with Lyon to secure the signing of the France international Nabil Fekir this summer.
The Reds suffered a 1-0 defeat away to Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, but can still ensure a remarkable campaign with victories over Brighton and Real Madrid in their final two games.
Doing so would restore Klopp’s side to the pinnacle for European football, and establishing them as a firm favourite to challenge for the Premier League title next season.
Klopp confirmed ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge that Liverpool were already in talks with prospective signings, explaining how “in this moment we are quite attractive.”
And if reports from French outlets Canal+ and RMC Sport are to be believed, this is certainly the case for Lyon captain Fekir.
Canal+ initially claimed Liverpool were in “pole position” to sign Fekir in a £62 million deal with the Ligue 1 side, with this added to by RMC later on Sunday.
They fuel speculation further by reporting that the two clubs have already agreed the fee and Fekir has finalised terms over a five-year deal with the Reds, with Gerard Houllier playing a pivotal role in negotiations.
The midfielder’s younger brother, Yassin Fekir, is also said to be set to move to Merseyside, similar to when Chelsea signed Eden and Thorgan Hazard in 2012.
However, it remains to be seen how concrete these claims are, despite their emphatic tone, with Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas telling reporters on the same day that “we’ve had no contact with Liverpool today.”
“Nabil Fekir is here. We hope to keep him next year to play in the Champions League,” he added.
Goal’s Neil Jones also moved to dismiss these suggestions on Twitter, writing: “I’m told Liverpool have not agreed a deal, or even bid, for Nabil Fekir.”
Perhaps adding to the dubious nature of the report, RMC also suggest Liverpool “are also concretely positioned to bring in Ousmane Dembele” from Barcelona.
Dembele rejected the advances of Klopp back in 2016, before he joined the manager’s former club Borussia Dortmund from Rennes.
But RMC claim that this has not deterred Klopp who, acknowledging Dembele’s struggle since moving to the Nou Camp in an initial £96.8 million deal in 2017, is poised for another approach.
It seems unlikely the 20-year-old will leave this summer despite playing just 1,017 minutes of football for Barcelona this term, with his prospects diminished following the arrival of Philippe Coutinho.
“I signed a five-year contract with Barcelona,” he told Telefoot last month, “I will be at Barcelona for a very long time.”
The hope is that claims over a move for Fekir are in fact genuine, however, with the versatile Frenchman an attractive signing for a Liverpool side already boasting top quality in attack.
Fekir has scored 22 goals and assisted a further seven in 37 games for Lyon this season, and speaking to Onze Mondial in February hinted that he could consider a move away.
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