A couple of Portuguese newspapers today have something to say about the situation of Liverpool midfielder Marko Grujic.
Following the loan season the player just had at Porto, the Dragons have been interested in keeping him for another year, but it now seems this won’t be an easy task.
Outlet Correio da Manhã comes up with a simple and straightforward story. They say Liverpool currently demand €14m for Grujic’s sale, and the Portuguese club don’t want to spend over €10m.
It’s said Porto first tried another loan deal, but the Reds turned it down, as they consider it’s time to cash in with his permanent exit. German side Hertha Berlin are another club who couldn’t match the demanded price yet.
Correio da Manhã says the Dragons shall now play a ‘patience game’ and could only buy a percentage of Grujic’s rights, as they insist on paying only €10m for the signing.
Meanwhile, newspaper A Bola has a few more details on the player’s side of the situation.
They claim that Hertha Berlin are indeed interested in the signing, and have good arguments for the transfer, as they could pay him a big salary, added to the fact that their sporting director Dirk Dufner has straight ties with the agency who manage the midfielder’s career.
However, Grujic sees the move to the Bundesliga side as a ‘step back’. He wants to continue playing in the Champions League, and proof of that is that he turned down three clubs from the Premier League last season just so he could feature in Europe for Porto. It’s claimed that the midfielder wants the Dragons once again.
Liverpool are blocking the chance of another loan, even though Jurgen Klopp has given the ‘green light’ for his exit. And although the Reds dropped his price from €20m to €14m, the amount continues to be ‘prohibitive’ for the Portuguese club, who could try to buy only 50% of his rights.
Grujic’s contract with the Anfield Road side expires in 2022.
