Liverpool are looking to offload Serbian midfielder Marko Grujic this summer, according to reports
According to CalcioMercato, Liverpool are willing to listen to offers for Serbian international midfielder Marko Grujic this summer after he has failed to impress Jurgen Klopp and impose himself on the first team.
Liverpool went to great lengths to sign the midfielder back in the January transfer window of 2016. Grujic was at the time being pursued by the likes of Chelsea, Inter and Juve, and the player’s father was vehemently opposed to the Serbian joining the Reds.
Jurgen Klopp called Grujic to convince the player to join the Reds but after that attempt failed, Klopp’s assistant Željko Buvač flew to Belgrade to speak to the Serbian and eventually convinced him to sign for the Reds in a £5.1 million deal.
Grujic was then loaned back to his club Red Star Belgrade for the remainder of the season before joining up with the Reds at the start of this season. But he has since failed to break into the first team.
Grujic has made just 2 starts for the Reds – both of which came in the League Cup – and has only featured in the English Premier league twice this season, both substitute appearances which totalled just 28 minutes of action combined.
If Calciomercato are to be believed, Klopp has now decided that Grujic no longer features in his plans for next season – all of this despite the lengthy pursuit the club embarked on in order to sign the youngster.
A tall, rangy midfielder who has good technical ability and passing range, Grujic has at times been compared to his compatriot Nemanja Matic and has also raised comparisons to Ivorian powerhouse Yaya Toure.
Although the Reds will definitely need a stronger squad next season as they will likely need to contend with the added pressures of the UEFA Champions League, Grujic’s inability to break into the first team could be an indicator that he will not be a part of that squad.
Given the player’s father was opposed to the move in the first place as well as the fact that Grujic himself will be desperate for playing time, it seems highly likely that we will either see the player depart on loan or on a permanent deal come the end of the season.
