Liverpool have agreed a £62million deal with Ligue 1 side Lyon to sign playmaker Nabil Fekir this summer, according to reports emerging from France.

Although the Reds did not sign a direct replacement for Philippe Coutinho in January, who joined Barcelona, they have been searching for a player to fill that void ever since.

And now RMC Sport claim they have struck a deal with Lyon for skipper Fekir, with the 24-year-old agreeing a five-year contract and keen to move to Anfield.

Liverpool will pay £62m in addition to a number of bonuses for Fekir, who scored 17 goals in Ligue 1 this season as well as laying on a further seven assists.

Interestingly, former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier has been involved in the deal, having become an adviser to Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas.

Houllier travelled to England a few weeks ago to finalise the deal, and Fekir will be joined by his younger brother, Yassin Fekir, at Anfield. However, Aulas has moved to play down reports of Fekir’s imminent switch to Liverpool, saying that he still hopes to convince the 24-year-old to stay.

He told reporters: "We have had no contact with Liverpool today. Nabil Fekir is here. We hope to keep him and have him playing the Champions League with us next year."

However, Fekir has previously intimated that he is ready to leave Lyon and is keen on challenging himself outside of France.

Source: Metro

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