It was the transfer saga of the summer which wasn't actually a saga.

Despite all the speculation and all the bluster, Nabil Fekir remains at Lyon.

Any Liverpool fan hoping for a dramatic last twist in the window was left disappointed.

In truth the Reds' pursuit of the France international ended on June 8 and wasn't re-ignited.

With the £53million deal agreed, personal terms sorted, club media duties in the can and an announcement pencilled in, Liverpool dramatically pulled the plug due to concerns over scans on his knee taken during his medical in Paris.

(Image: ROMAIN LAFABREGUE/AFP/Getty Images)

Fekir was fit to play as underlined by his participation in France's triumphant World Cup campaign in Russia. But the Reds ultimately decided that it was just too much of a gamble considering the financial commitment at stake.

It wasn't just the fee, they also had to factor in a five-year deal on in excess of £100,000 per week. Fekir had suffered a serious knee injury in 2015 and Liverpool feared there was a high risk of him aggravating it and enduring another lengthy spell on the sidelines.

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Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas insisted that it was his club who had ended negotiations but that simply didn't stand up to scrutiny.

The medical only took place after Liverpool had agreed an initial fee of £48.4million with a further £4.4million in add-ons.

(Image: Michael Regan - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

A week later Fekir's agent Jean-Pierre Bernes claimed: “He didn't sign because um... it is not over! This is not the end of the story.”

But for Liverpool it was. Renegotiating terms with Lyon after the World Cup was never seriously entertained.

A sense of frustration is understandable. After all Fekir netted 23 goals and provided nine assists in 40 appearances last season and would have been a top-class acquisition.

But Klopp has long since moved on. It was his decision not to pursue an alternative to Fekir over the past two months.

He looked at what else was available and what options he already had at his disposal and didn't deem another centre midfielder as a necessity.

(Image: PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images)

Liverpool had already brought in Fabinho and Naby Keita before they moved for Fekir knowing that Emre Can was leaving and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would miss most of this season due to injury.

Some have suggested that Xherdan Shaqiri was the alternative to Fekir but that's simply not the case.

Shaqiri had long since been identified by Liverpool's recruitment team as the perfect addition to their attacking armoury as he would offer something different.

The Switzerland international is viewed by Klopp very much as a forward whereas Fekir would have played centre midfield.

(Image: Getty)

Klopp has shown during his Anfield tenure that when he can't get exactly what he wants he's prepared to sit tight. Think Alex Teixeira, Ben Chilwell and Julian Brandt for starters.

When Liverpool missed out on Virgil van Dijk last summer, Klopp refused to pursue a Plan B. He finally got his man in January.

That's bound to prompt talk about whether he will return for Fekir but the difference there is that it's about medical concerns rather than a club's willingness to do business.

At Melwood on Friday when Klopp insisted that he wouldn't have signed another keeper this summer if the Reds had been unable to do a deal with Roma for Alisson Becker he meant it.

(Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Asked during the recent tour of America whether Liverpool had adequately replaced Philippe Coutinho, Klopp said: “You cannot replace Phil with exactly the same kind of player.

“I don't want to put one of my players in the position where people will now say constantly 'he's the Phil replacement'. Out there on the market, there isn't a Phil Coutinho light. But there are a lot of good players and we have brought a few of them in.”

Some may bemoan the absence of another No 10 but on the eve of the 2018/19 campaign Klopp is clearly content with his lot.

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Liverpool are hardly short of attacking midfield options with Keita, Gini Wijnaldum and Adam Lallana. Shaqiri has shown he can also play there, while teenager Curtis Jones isn't far off bursting on to the Premier League stage after making giant strides forward.

The Reds can do without Fekir.