Marko Grujic is Jurgen Klopp’s first signing at Liverpool after Red Star Belgrade confirmed the Serbian’s transfer by releasing an official statement.
The 19-year-old midfielder has been the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks, after he emerged as a surprise target of several Premier League clubs, including Liverpool.
However, as it stands, Liverpool have stolen a march on their rivals and have secured the Serbs’ signature. The player himself hinted of a possible move to Liverpool last week when he posted a report of him being linked with the Reds on his official Facebook page.
Klopp’s main assistant, Zeljko Buvac, is thought to be the key man behind Liverpool’s interest in Grujic, who played a key role in Red Star’s march towards the Serbian SuperLiga title this season.
We do not know the exact details of the transfer yet, but Liverpool understood to have offered over £5m, with a clause that the Serbian club will receive 10 per cent of any transfer fee should Grujic leave Anfield in the future.
Red Star Belgrade announced Grujic’s move to Merseyside in a statement released on Wednesday (translations taken from This is Anfield).
“[We] considered and unanimously accepted the offer of the English giants,” the statement explains.
“Liverpool will pay the money immediately, and the player will stay in Red Star until July 1, 2016.”
The loan fee Red Star will pay Liverpool is said to be around £750,000.
“We are convinced, just like the people from Liverpool, Marko Grujic has the quality [to play for] a great club and that in England can make a great career.
“We should not ignore the fact that this transfer was the largest for [Red Star] in the last 10 years, even though Marko Grujic is not [in the senior] national team and our club is not playing European matches.”
It seems like Liverpool’s offer was too good for Red Star to turn down. Grujic is a fine young talent but how well he adapts to the physical nature of the English Premier League remains to be seen. The deal shows Liverpool’s belief in his ability but as is the case with many young talents, there is also a certain degree of risk involved in the deal.
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