That is according to French football expert Robin Bairner.
Fekir appeared to be on the verge of a move to Anfield when he had a medical and was interviewed by Liverpool’s in-house television station LFC TV.
But the deal collapsed when concerns were raised about Fekir’s knee as a result of his knee operation in 2015.
While the 24-year-old’s participation in the World Cup with France has also complicated matters but Bairner believes Aouar’s renewal paves the way for Fekir to leave Lyon.
He wrote on Twitter: “#Lyon have tied Houssem Aouar to a new five-year deal. That clears the way for #Fekir to leave the club #LFC.”
Aouar enjoyed a breakthrough 2017-18 campaign with seven goals in 44 appearances.
And the 20-year-old is viewed as a natural replacement for Fekir, if he leaves.
But Aouar, who came through the Lyon academy, has now committed his future to June 2023.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp returned to pre-season and spoke about the club’s ambitions after a promising 2017-18 season.
He said: “We are always ambitious, we are still ambitious, so we did a few nice things in the last couple of years, but we know as well that we can still improve so we want to build on the things we’ve achieved so far.
“We know all the good things, we know all the not so good things.
“Life is always [about] learning from your experiences, I hope we can show that.”
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