Liverpool have announced the signing of Under-20 World
Cup winner Marko Grujic for a fee of £5.1 million on a five-
year deal from Red Star Belgrade.
The midfielder, who can play an attacking role or distribute
from deep, will remain at the Serbian side on loan until the
end of the season and is the first transfer acquisition under
manager Jurgen Klopp.
Grujic arrived on Merseyside on Sunday, had his medical on
Monday and has now finalised the formalities of his switch.
The 19-year-old was heavily pursued by several other
European outfits, with Red Star rebuffing bids from
Anderlecht (€2m) and Stuttgart (€5m).
Internazionale were also keen on securing his services, but
haggled over the transfer fee as well as the payment
structure, leaving Liverpool in pole position to complete a
deal.
The Merseysiders were willing to settle Grujic’s price upfront
instead of via instalments and agreed to a 10 percent sell-on
clause, which was welcomed by Red Star. It will help the
SuperLiga pacesetters, who nearly went out of business 18
months ago, alleviate some of their financial difficulties.
READ MORE | Injuries take shine off Liverpool
win
Grujic may not be the only piece of business Liverpool
announce in the January window. Klopp currently has a
skeleton squad to work with due to the club’s lengthy injury
list.
He currently has no available centre-backs, Christian
Benteke is the only fit striker and his midfield is minus the
talents of Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson.
The Reds boss admitted the club may have to turn to the
market to address their shortage of options, especially at the
back.
Schalke defender Joel Matip, who is stalling on an
extension, is a player that interests Liverpool but that deal
would likely only be on a pre-contract basis with the
Cameroon international joining in the summer. Ben Chilwell,
Leicester’s highly rated young left-back, is another target for
the Reds. However, any real progress on that would only be
expected in the off-season.
Klopp needs reinforcements now and is certain to sanction
more business this month if the club can secure the right
kind of recruits for the right price.
Cup winner Marko Grujic for a fee of £5.1 million on a five-
year deal from Red Star Belgrade.
The midfielder, who can play an attacking role or distribute
from deep, will remain at the Serbian side on loan until the
end of the season and is the first transfer acquisition under
manager Jurgen Klopp.
Grujic arrived on Merseyside on Sunday, had his medical on
Monday and has now finalised the formalities of his switch.
The 19-year-old was heavily pursued by several other
European outfits, with Red Star rebuffing bids from
Anderlecht (€2m) and Stuttgart (€5m).
Internazionale were also keen on securing his services, but
haggled over the transfer fee as well as the payment
structure, leaving Liverpool in pole position to complete a
deal.
The Merseysiders were willing to settle Grujic’s price upfront
instead of via instalments and agreed to a 10 percent sell-on
clause, which was welcomed by Red Star. It will help the
SuperLiga pacesetters, who nearly went out of business 18
months ago, alleviate some of their financial difficulties.
READ MORE | Injuries take shine off Liverpool
win
Grujic may not be the only piece of business Liverpool
announce in the January window. Klopp currently has a
skeleton squad to work with due to the club’s lengthy injury
list.
He currently has no available centre-backs, Christian
Benteke is the only fit striker and his midfield is minus the
talents of Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson.
The Reds boss admitted the club may have to turn to the
market to address their shortage of options, especially at the
back.
Schalke defender Joel Matip, who is stalling on an
extension, is a player that interests Liverpool but that deal
would likely only be on a pre-contract basis with the
Cameroon international joining in the summer. Ben Chilwell,
Leicester’s highly rated young left-back, is another target for
the Reds. However, any real progress on that would only be
expected in the off-season.
Klopp needs reinforcements now and is certain to sanction
more business this month if the club can secure the right
kind of recruits for the right price.
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