According to a recent report by the Liverpool Echo, Liverpool are keen on offloading their Serbian winger Lazar Markovic before the winter transfer window comes to a close at the end of this month. The same report has also stated that if the midfielder does not leave the Merseyside club in January, then he would be released when his contract at Anfield expires at the end of this campaign.
Markovic has failed to establish himself in the Reds first-team after the arrival of Jurgen Klopp back in 2015. He has since had loan spells with Fenerbahce, Sporting CP, Hull City and Anderlecht before returning to Liverpool last summer. The Serbian talent failed to agree on personal terms with Anderlecht when the Reds were willing to let him leave before the start of this campaign. Markovic is currently playing for Liverpool’s Under-23 team and has surprisingly been quite impressive in the Premier League 2.
In a recent interview with the Liverpool Echo, the club’s Under-23s coach Neil Critchley said, “I’ve got to say he’s been brilliant to work with. He’s great with the young lads, he’s humble and he listens to what’s asked of him.”
The former Partizan player has made a total of 34 appearances since his move to Anfield and has scored three goals while grabbing one assist across all competitions. At 24, the Serbian talent has not been able to fulfil his potential at Merseyside, so he needs to move on to a new club sooner rather than later if he wants to reignite his career in European football.
Markovic is a fantastic dribbler with the ball at his feet and can make some well-timed runs behind the opposition defence. He also has an eye for a decisive pass in the final third which is one of the main reasons why Brendan Rodgers decided to bring him to Anfield in the first place. However, with his career going nowhere at Liverpool, it would be a good move for all parties if he decided to leave before the end of this month.
The Serbian winger’s departure won’t affect Klopp’s first-team plans at all as the Reds look to end their 29-year wait for the Premier League title. However, if Markovic leaves in January, then the Reds might have a chance to recoup some of the £20m fee which they paid to Benfica to bring him to the red half of Merseyside.
Either way, it seems the Serbian’s nightmare stay at Anfield is finally coming to an end which would be welcome news for both parties.
