Real Betis have completed the signing of Lyon midfielder Nabil Fekir, according to L’Equipe. The fee is believed to be around €20 million, which could include a bonus of €10 million and a resale percentage of 25%.
Real Betis Sign Nabil Fekir From Lyon
Betis’ Bargain
Last summer, Fekir was involved in one of the biggest transfer sagas going as he came close to a move to Liverpool. So close, in fact, that Fekir had already completed his first interview with the club and the £52 million deal was all set to be announced.
However, the Reds pulled out in the dying seconds after fears over an old knee injury grew too big. Fekir had suffered ligament damage in his knee earlier in his career and it turned out to be something Liverpool did not want to take a risk with.
Perhaps, then, that’s why Betis were able to get a much smaller fee for the player than Liverpool had agreed with Lyon. It may also signal that bigger clubs were in agreement with Liverpool and were not willing to take the risk surrounding the player’s knee.
Paving the Way
Fekir’s arrival in Seville could be the catalyst for the rumoured Giovani Lo Celso move to Tottenham Hotspur finally going through. Ben Hayward from the Evening Standard reports that while Spurs are keen to get a deal done, they will need to break their transfer record for the second time this summer in order to secure the Argentine.
Tanguy Ndombele’s £55 million move was Spurs’ previous record, but Hayward reports that they will need to fork out £67 million to meet Betis’ demands. Standard Sport also say that they understand Lo Celso has told his club he wants to play Champions League football and work with Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Main Photo
