Porto lead Grujic race

Porto lead the way in the race for the signature of Liverpool’s Marko Grujic this summer, according to James Pearce of The Athletic.

The Serbia international has made only 16 appearances for the Merseysiders since his arrival from Red Star Belgrade in 2016, spending most of his time on loan spells. He played two years (2018-20) for Hertha Berlin, where coach Pal Dardai described him as the best midfielder he had seen at the club. At the end of his second season in Germany, Hertha simply couldn’t afford a permanent deal and he returned to Anfield, only to move on to Porto for 2020-21.

Porto recently resolved the issues around boss Sergio Conceicao, who signed a three-year contract and immediately informed the club of his desire to keep Grujic in his ranks. Porto wanted another loan, but Liverpool responded by saying that only permanent deal proposals would be considered this time around. Meanwhile, Porto’s Sergio Oliveira is being targeted by Fiorentina, and his potential sale would provide the Portuguese club with sufficient funds for a deal for Grujic.

Liverpool want £15m for the 25-year-old who has two years left on his contract, which would be almost £10m more than they paid for him in the first place. There has been interest from Germany and Italy too, but Porto are in the driving seat at the moment.