Real Betis midfielder Nabil Fekir lashes out at 'lies' surrounding his failed Liverpool move

Sport360 staff 21:19 10/09/2019
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  • Real Betis star signing Nabil Fekir hit back at reports suggesting his ‘knee injury’ last season was responsible for Liverpool backing out from signing him at the last minute.

    The then Lyon attacking midfielder was close  to joining the Reds last summer and a deal worth £53 million was said to be all but confirmed. However, the Premier League giants withdrew at the last moment. Fekir branded the supposed serious knee injury false and claimed he does not know why the deal fell through.

    The Frenchman joined the La Liga side this summer for £22m and is turning himself into a crucial member of the team.

    “Lots of lies were told and they affected me,” he told L’Equipe.

    “Especially those told about my family. It hurt them and me. Especially when you know that what’s being told is false.

    “What was said is not the truth. My knee is good – I had a quick medical check at Clairefontaine (France’s national training base) – my knee wasn’t even mentioned.

    “If my knee had been in such a bad state, would Aulas (Lyon chairman Jean-Michel) have made [a huge offer to keep me]?

    “But the worst thing is the idea that people could suggest that it’s because of my family that the transfer didn’t happen. It’s a lie. But you have to live with it.

    “You want the truth? Even I don’t know – I promise you!

    “I did my medical and then [Liverpool] decided not to sign me. At some point they wanted to have me believe it was because of my knee – but an excuse needed to be found.

    “The medical tests that I did at Clairefontaine were very clear – my knee is perfectly fine and I feel fine. There are no issues at all with my knee.”

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