Cardiff City have reportedly contacted Liverpool for an extended loan deal of Serbian midfielder, Marko Grujic but talks have not progressed beyond the preliminary stages. The Bluebirds are recruiting talented options to avoid relegation from the Premier League next term.
Grujic stood out in the latter half of the 2017/18 season, making 14 appearances and helping City earn an automatic promotion to the English top-flight. He was not cutting any favours with Jurgen Klopp, sitting behind the likes of Georginio Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Emre Can.
The 22-year-old had to find an escape route to continue his footballing development and made a case for future first-team selection during his spell at the Welsh club. However, with the Reds announcing the signing of Naby Keita and Fabinho it is unlikely that Grujic will be involved in Klopp’ senior team in the upcoming season.
He travelled to Russia for the 2018 FIFA World Cup but did not get to feature for his country in the tournament. The midfielder has earned 8 international caps for the Serbian national team so far but his Liverpool career is slowly crumbling away to woeful heights.
In 2016, Grujic was one of Jurgen Klopp’s first signings as the Liverpool head coach. The central midfielder made his way over to Merseyside from Red Star Belgrade for £5m.
He has 28 caps to his name for the Serbian youth sides and was touted to be one of Klopp’s revolutionary youth acquisitions. So far, his prospects have not panned out and a loan spell away from the club seems to be the best move for all parties.
Grujic has also drawn links with Lazio as his international teammate, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic said, “I told him that if he goes to Rome (to join Lazio), he will be fine.”
In order to better learn the English game, Grujic should opt for a loan away to the Championship just like the past season. Here are a few clubs who could benefit from his services.
Marco Bielsa is hunting for top-pedigree talents and Grujic is perfect for the Argentine’s needs. The 6 feet 3-inch figure is creatively charged and can help the Peacocks make a refurbished run for promotion.
Following their relegation from the Premier League, the Baggies understandably are looking to make a few cheap additions to their current squad. They heavily lack a creative option in midfield and are yet to agree to a new deal with James Morrison.
They might not be able to replace Gylfi Sigurdsson in the near future but they can certainly consider alternate options. Grujic will be able to fill in from different positions to help them bounce back to top-flight football.
