Sporting CP have announced all their transfer expenditure from the past year and revealed how much they’ve paid for each signing.
According to Portuguese newspaper, Liverpool loanee Lazar Markovic cost the Portuguese club around €1.5m for a loan until the end of the season. Jurgen Klopp didn’t feel he could offer Markovic enough first team football and so the move made sense for all involved.
The player will be at Sporting for the rest of the campaign, working under manager Jorge Jesus, who Markovic knows well from his days with Benfica. Then he returns to England, where he has a Liverpool contract until 2019.At this price, Liverpool are doing business in the same way as Chelsea, who also charge €1.5m for their prime loans. Chelsea have led the way somewhat in setting the €1.5m price, using it for Juan Cuadrado and others.
Markovic started only four games for Sporting this season. In ten appearances, he has a total of two goals and zero assists, so he’s still to prove that the money paid for the loan was worth it.
A strange thing about his stay in Portugal is the treatment from the press. Markovic had his best days at Benfica, where he also worked under Jorge Jesus, and that’s the main argument for every single article which claims he can still do well again.
But not even Jorge Jesus seems able to get the best from the player these days, so Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp are likely to see him return in the summer. Then maybe they will be looking for €1.5m for another season long loan somewhere.
