A journalist has suggested that Liverpool could finally be close to a deal for Lyon forward Nabil Fekir, after one of the most protracted and complicated transfer sagas of the year.
Dean Jones, the football insider for the Bleacher Report, tweeted the following:
Am told Fekir now progressing well again... This could be a defining week for Liverpool
— Dean Jones (@DeanJonesBR) July 18, 2018
Fekir was on the verge of moving to Anfield earlier this year, only for his medical to reveal a worrying knee issue which caused the £53m deal to collapse. However, it now seems that the deal could be back on, as was recently suggested by Sky Sports veteran Martin Tyler.
Fekir was part of France's FIFA World Cup-winning squad. Although he only played a peripheral role in Les Bleus' triumph, he shone for Lyon last season, netting 18 times in 29 Ligue 1 appearances as his side qualified for next season's UEFA Champions League.
Dean Jones' comment that 'this could be a defining week for Liverpool' seems very apt, considering that the Reds are close to signing Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker from AS Roma for €75m - a world record fee for a goalkeeper.
Jürgen Klopp seems to be determined to remedy the deficiencies which proved so costly for Liverpool against Real Madrid in last season's Champions League final.
Alisson will hopefully prove to be less error-prone than Loris Karius, whose howlers against Los Blancos cost Liverpool two goals. In addition, the acquisition of Fekir would provide the Reds with attacking strength in depth - something which they all too obviously lacked when Mohamed Salah had to leave the field with an injury.
Liverpool have also signed midfielder Fabinho from AS Monaco and the mercurial Swiss star Xherdan Shaqiri from Stoke City, in a bid to surpass last season's performance, in which the Reds only narrowly secured fourth place in the Premier League table.
With all these reinforcements - with or without Fekir - another fourth-placed finish would likely be considered unsatisfactory by Reds fans.