It’s one of those days where everything will feel like an effort. Getting out of bed, going to work, giving the time of day to a load of transfer gossip that you know deep down is a cynical fabrication, just like the supernatural genius of Steve Holland. But as Daniel Bedingfield once sang, you just gotta get through this.

Essentially, there’s been a terrible mix-up. It was football that was supposed to be coming home, not England.

England don’t want to go home, please don’t take them home. They want to stay out there, and drink all the beer, which is something they have in common with Nabil Fekir (unintentional rhyme alert).

The France midfielder has also been living the dream for the past month, albeit mainly from the comfort of the substitutes’ bench, as Didier Deschamps’ side have marched to the World Cup final.

READ MORE: England player and manager reaction as Three Lions downed in Moscow
READ MORE: It doesn’t matter that football didn’t come home – it was the feeling that it might

But win or lose against Croatia on Sunday, the 24-year-old playmaker will soon be back to earth with a bump when he reports for pre-season training with Lyon. Unless he can somehow get out of it…

The Mirror reports that Fekir has been trying to convince the French club to help him resurrect his “dream” move to Liverpool.

The transfer collapsed last month when the Reds tried to get a discount on the £53m fee after a potential problem with the player’s knee emerged during his medical. Now Fekir wants the clubs to go back to the negotiating table and Lyon president Jean Michel Aulas has “agreed” to help.

Liverpool are reportedly not keen to pay the same amount they were willing to shell out on Fekir previously. However, they do still have a fully filmed and edited Fekir unveiling video lying around at Anfield that will completely go to waste unless they actually end up buying him, so maybe that could swing it.

West Ham close in on £40m Felipe Anderson

West Ham, who remain the only English club to have won the World Cup (sorry Tottenham), are buying lots of players. Having snapped up Andriy Yarmolenko from Borussia Dortmund yesterday, their £40m signing of Lazio winger Felipe Anderson is set to be announced “within the next 24 hours” according to the Star.

The Hammers have also, inevitably – given their predilection for past-it superstars and the presence of Manuel Pellegrini – held “talks” with former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Youre. However, the Sun says the Irons are “reluctant” to offer the 35-year-old Ivorian a contract.

Toure’s agent, the flamboyant Dimitri Seluk, recently stated that Toure would be prepared to play for £1 a week to stay in the Premier League. Well, it turns out that was a bit of a lie and the Hammers were quoted a figure closer to £100,000 a week.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are confident that all their eliminated World Cup stars – Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and Willian – will be happy to remain at Stamford Bridge as long as the club name Maurizio Sarri as manager.

The Blues have been taking their sweet time about confirming the Italian’s appointment, but the Sun says current boss Antonio Conte will be sacked “within 24 hours” to make way for his compatriot.

Elsewhere, Liverpool face a battle to keep highly rated young striker Rhian Brewster, who is wanted by Paris Saint-Germain (Sun), Barcelona have opened talks with PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot (Mundo Deportivo) and Juventus are set to follow up their purchase of the one of the world’s best players Cristiano Ronaldo by signing one of the world’s best centre-backs Diego Godin (Sun) and Manchester United’s fifth-best full-back Matteo Darmian (Talksport).