Liverpool have reportedly slapped a €40 million price tag on Marko Grujic, who is currently on loan at Hertha Berlin, and is a target for Atletico Madrid.
According to a report by ESPN, Liverpool are ready to part ways with Marko Grujic in the summer transfer window. The Serbian midfielder, who is currently on loan at Hertha Berlin, is wanted by La Liga heavyweights Atletico Madrid, who will have to shell out €40 million to secure his services.
Marko Grujic arrived at Liverpool from Red Star Belgrade in January 2016 and was immediately loaned out to the Serbian club. When he finally joined the first-team setup at Anfield in the subsequent summer, injury troubles curbed his involvement to a great extent, so much so that he has only managed 14 outings for the Reds so far.
Over the last 18 months, the 23-year-old has been away from Liverpool, firstly at Cardiff City, where he spent the second half of the 2017-18 campaign. This term, Grujic has been on a season-long loan spell at Hertha Berlin, where he has rediscovered his best form.
Now a regular for the Bundesliga outfit, the Serb has garnered a lot of praise as his reputation burgeons, with manager Pal Dardai claiming that he is the best midfielder the club has seen in the last 20 years. The Liverpool loanee’s progress has not gone unnoticed, with Atletico Madrid interested in him.
Los Rojiblancos are in a precarious situation at the present moments, with key midfielders Rodri and Saul Niguez being linked with a summer move away the Spanish capital. In particular, Atletico Madrid are concerned about the future of Rodri, with Manchester City ready to meet his €70 million exit clause, as per the report.
Should Rodri leave, Atletico Madrid would be in need of a top class holding midfielder, which is where Gurjic comes in. While the 23-year-old is originally a central midfielder by trade, he has shown the tendency to play in a deeper role equally adeptly. And, with Liverpool packed with midfield options, a departure from Anfield would make sense.
Liverpool too, are open to the idea of selling the player, and are set to demand €40 million in exchange for the talented midfielder. The amount should ideally not faze Atletico Madrid, should they pocket €70 million for Rodri, seeing as they will make a cool €30 million in the process.
Any deal for Grujic, however, will depend on Rodri being offloaded, in which case Grujic could be the replacement at Wanda Metropolitano. It now remains to be seen if the transfer sees the light of the day, or if the youngster remains a part of Liverpool.
