The off again, on again saga surrounding Nabil Fekir's potential move to Liverpool took another dramatic twist this week, as the Frenchman has told Lyon's owner that he still has his heart set on joining the Reds.
Additionally, the Daily Mirror report that Fekir has reached an agreement with Les Gones' owner Jean Michel Aulas to reopen talks with the Merseyside club in the hope of making his 'dream' move become a reality.
Fekir, who will be part of the French squad that will meet Croatia in the World Cup final this Sunday, has met twice with Aulas during Les Bleus' World Cup run in Russia - most recently after France's victory over Belgium in the semi-final, when the Lyon owner (who is an influential figure within the French Football Federation (FFF)) joined the celebrating players in the changing room post match.
The two men - including Fekir's advisor Jean-Pierre Bernes - sat down to discuss the midfielder's desire to move to Liverpool.
The initial £53m deal apparently collapsed after the Reds hesitated following Fekir's medical and made Lyon pull the plug at the eleventh hour. The Mirror report that Liverpool would be prepared to listen to a revised deal for Fekir - but are still willing to pay the full £53m for the 24-year-old's services.
Instead, the issue lies with the surgery Fekir had to repair anterior cruciate ligament damage, and the Reds are concerend about his long-term health. As such, Liverpool would like to see the fee paid over the full length of his contract (five years on around £120,000-a-week), and not all up front.
For Aulas' part, he has acknowledge to Fekir that he wants to help him achieve his dream move, but will only negotiate with Liverpool on Lyon's terms.
Reds' fans will have to be patient as renewed talks between the two parties won't happen until after the World Cup, but they should be optimistic that a proposed deal is still possible - pending Aulas' willingness to change the structure of the original deal.