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The Premier League transfer news and rumour mills have churned out quite a few stories today with the biggest being Liverpool's failure to capture a midfield signing that could have made them title contenders.
Top clubs in England are looking to either sign stars capable of slotting into their XI or reinforce their squads with enough squad depth to challenge for trophies. Here are the latest reports from England (and Europe) today.
Liverpool fail to complete Nabil Fekir deal with Lyon
After days of negotiations and when a move seemed inevitable, Lyon pulled out of negotiations to deny Liverpool another midfield signing.
A deal was in the works for the Anfield side to sign Nabil Fekir for a fee in the region of £52.75m (£48.35m paid up front plus £4.4m in add-ons). However, the Ligue 1 club took a U-turn on Saturday and released a statement saying Fekir was staying at the club.
"Although Liverpool has been the priority of a possible transfer of Nabil, and subject to other proposals consistent with the interest of Nabil and OL and from ambitious clubs, Olympique Lyonnais is delighted to be able to count on the presence of their captain this season 2018/2019 during which the club will play the Champions League..." - Lyon's official statement on ther club website
Jurgen Klopp had hoped to replace Philippe Coutinho with Fekir in midfield but L'Equipe claimed Liverpool tried to renegotiate the terms of the deal after issues with Fekir's medical. The 24-year-old had a knee reconstruction surgery after injuring his ACL in 2015.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas is not an easy man to negotiate with and he also tweeted that he was happy to see Fekir stay at the club.
Translation: "We love you Nabil. Go France. Go OL (Olympique Lyon)"
It remains to be seen whether Liverpool will go back to Lyon and try to renegotiate a deal to bring Fekir to the Premier League. But it will have to wait as he has now travelled with the France squad to Russia for the World Cup.
Ander Herrera rejects chance to return to La Liga
Despite getting a chance to return to Spain, Manchester United midfielder has declined an offer from Athletic Bilbao, according to Daily Mail.
The Spaniard has only one more year left on his contract and is valued at £27m. Herrera had joined the Old Trafford club in 2014 after he had activated a clause in his contract to move to the Red Devils.
A report in AS claimed the Basque club were even ready to make him their highest-paid player but Herrera has decided to stay put at Old Trafford.
However, with one year left on his contract, he has also rejected a chance to extend his deal, looking to run down his contract and choose a destination of his choosing.
Manchester City set to sign Riyad Mahrez for £75m
Riyad Mahrez could soon make his move away from the King Power Stadium as Manchester City and Leicester City have agreed on a fee. The only stumbling block that remains is the agent fees, according to Mirror.
The Algerian winger has been looking for a move ever since last summer when the Foxes failed to qualify for the Champions League. City had tried to sign him in January as well when the winter transfer window was open.
However, the Foxes had rejected multiple bids at the time which led to Mahrez boycotting training sessions, souring the relationship between the club and the player.
The softer stance taken by Leicester now suggests they are resigned to losing the 27-year-old and that they are finally cashing in.
A £75m fee would be a new club record for City.
Liverpool looking to sign Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope for £15m
According to The Sun, Liverpool are set to test Burnley's resolve with a £15m move for goalkeeper Nick Pope.
With Simon Mignolet set to leave the club for more playing time and Loris Karius not exactly setting the gold standard for goalkeeping, Pope has become the next contender to stand between the sticks at Anfield.
Pope could well leave Burnley considering he wasn't their first choice goalkeeper. He only had a run of games when the Clarets' no.1 was sidelined with a shoulder injury that required surgery.
Burnley may not stand in his way but they may deem £15m an insufficient fee for his services - especially considering the fact that they are selling him to a Premier League rival.
Gareth Bale prefers England return instead of Bayern Munich
According to Mirror, Gareth Bale has no interest in moving to Bayern Munich and would prefer a move back to England rather than move to the Bundesliga. The Bavarians are looking to rebuild their side with both wide men Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben approaching the end of their careers.
Of course, this is only if Real decide to sell him. However, he has informed them that should they decide to cash in on the Welshman, the Premier League is where he wants to move.
After the Champions League final - where his brace saw Real Madrid beat Liverpool 3-1 - Bale had said that he would sit down with his agent and discuss his future as he had not played enough minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, following Zinedine Zidane's departure, it remains to be seen if the new manager has Bale in his plans or not.
