Giroud, Hazard whispered sweet nothings of Chelsea in Fekir’s ear at the World Cup

Olympique Lyonnais star Nabil Fekir did not travel with their squad to Stamford Bridge for last night’s friendly, so there we none of the usual “Chelsea sign him at half-time” sort of rumors to add to the recently renewed links with the Blues.

That’s a bit unfortunate, as Fekir remains also linked with Liverpool, despite that move falling through earlier this summer after the Reds wanted to reduce the €65m transfer fee due to concerns over Fekir’s possibly dodgy knees. But, with less than two days left in the window, it’s just as likely that Fekir will see out yet another season at Lyon.

If that happens, it won’t be for a lack of trying by France teammate Olivier Giroud and fellow Francophone Eden Hazard, both of whom said a few nice words about Chelsea to Fekir at the World Cup ... just in case he was still looking for a change of scenery and a few extra zeroes in his bank account.

“I spoke to him when we were together in the French national team, when his move to Liverpool fell through. Then we discussed Chelsea, and I even think that Eden said a couple of words to him. We would obviously welcome him, he is a super player, but I don’t know if this is something that could happen as the window closes on Thursday.”

-Olivier Giroud; source: Foot Mercato via GFFN

If nothing else, this should cement Giroud’s status as a budding Chelsea cult hero.

Also, come on down, Nabil Fekir. It is almost deadline day and we’re signing ALL THE PLAYERS!