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Jurgen Klopp almost brought Nabil Fekir to Anfield(Image: Getty Images)

Nabil Fekir previously opened up about his bafflement over the failed move to Liverpool.

The French midfielder was seen as Jurgen Klopp's ideal replacement for Philippe Coutinho, having left for Barcelona in January of that year.

Liverpool appeared set to secure Fekir in 2018, after reportedly agreeing to a £58.5million deal with Olympique Lyon and the player successfully completing a medical and settling personal terms.

Yet, in an unexpected twist of fate, the switch to Anfield fell through amid rumours of concerns raised by a knee issue rumoured to be identified during his medical checks.

Fekir had previously torn his ACL on international duty back in the 2015/16 season, which sidelined him for most of the year, and subsequently dealt with further knee trouble while playing in France.

Despite the setback, Fekir remained with Lyon for an additional season before getting snapped up by Real Betis for a mere £18m the following summer, reports the Mirror.

The Frenchman spent five years with Real Betis after his move to Liverpool failed(Image: Getty)Article continues below

Dispelling the rumoured knee problems as the reason for the collapsed Liverpool deal, Fekir, who notched up 25 appearances for France from 2015 to 2020, cleared the air in 2019 during an interview with L'Équipe.

"The truth, why the transfer to Liverpool did not work out, I don't even know it myself," Fekir said to the French publication.

What was said is not the truth.

"My knee is good - I had a quick medical check at Clairefontaine - my knee wasn't even mentioned.

But the worst thing is the idea that people could suggest that it's because of my family that the transfer didn't happen.

"It's a lie.

The attempt to spread this pseudo physical problem into the world of course had an influence on other clubs potentially interested as well."

The Frenchman took on Liverpool last year in pre-season during his time with Real Betis(Image: Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)

After a thwarted transfer, Fekir, who moved to Al Jazira last year, parted ways with his representative Jean-Pierre Bernes, who had argued that it was indeed the midfielder's knee issue that hindered the deal.

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Fekir missed out on joining Alisson Becker, Fabinho, Naby Keita, and Xherdan Shaqiri at Liverpool — a squad that claimed the Champions League trophy during their tenure in Merseyside.

Looking for an attacking midfielder once again, the reigning English champions seem to be finalising a move for prodigy Florian Wirtz.