'Fekir was so close to Liverpool move that he even picked his squad number'

The Lyon captain had looked to be on the verge of sealing a £53m move to Anfield last week, having gone as far as to have done interviews with Liverpool's official website before the deal sensationally collapsed on Saturday.

According to reports, issues with the 24-year-old's medical led to Liverpool pulling the plug on a move, despriving Fekir of a five-year deal thought to be worth £140,000 per week.

Ferkir shone for Lyon last season, scoring 23 league goals for the club, but having been identified as Philippe Coutinho's successor, 'L'Équipe' claims that Fekir had even chosen his squad number at Anfield as he closed in on a move.

Both number eight and number ten are currently unassigned at Liverpool, but with the deal now on the scrapheap, it appears they will remain that way.