Me and Hazard Told Nabil Fekir to Join Chelsea – Olivier Giroud
Aug 9, 2018 at 5:57 PM
With only a couple of hours to go for the transfer deadline to end in the English Premier League, Oliver Giroud has revealed he advised Nabil Fekir to join him in Chelsea.
Nabil Fekir was set to join Liverpool earlier
Before getting linked with Chelsea, Fekir was linked heavily with another English club, Liverpool. The Reds entered talks over a £60 million (€68m/$80m) transfer with Lyon. But in the end, the deal fell apart before the FIFA World Cup 2018.
After the deal collapsed, Lyon boss, Bruno Genesio suggested he could stay in Ligue 1 for another year. Fekir has scored eight goals in the top flight last term for Lyon.
But a move is still possible, and Giroud revealed both him and Eden Hazard tried to convince the Lyon forward.
“I spoke to him when we were with the France team, and his transfer to Liverpool was aborted. After that, it was a question about Chelsea. Even Eden had a couple of words with him. We’d welcome him; he’s a great player and of course we’d welcome him with pleasure. I don’t know if it’s news, but the market finishes on Thursday.”
Chelsea have made only one major transfer this summer. They bought Jorginho from Napoli, and their new manager Maurizio Sarri played a vital role in making this transfer happen.
According to the latest reports, Chelsea are all set to make two more signings before the deadline. Thibaut Courtois is on his way to Real Madrid, while the Blues have trigged the release clause of Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Club for €80m.
Real Madrid’s Mateo Kovacic is also on his way to the Stamford Bridge, and it is likely to be a one-year loan deal.
Chelsea’s Premier League campaign starts on Saturday in Huddersfield Town where they will face Huddersfield in their opening game.