Grujic reveals he snubbed friend of Klopp when leaving Liverpool on loan

Marko Grujic has explained why he chose Porto when leaving Liverpool on loan again earlier this month.

The Serbian midfielder was Liverpool’s first signing under Jurgen Klopp back in 2016, but has struggled to cement his place at Anfield. He spent the past two seasons on loan in Germany with Hertha Berlin.

A return to the Bundesliga had been on the cards for Grujic this summer. However, links with Werder Bremen did not materialise into a move.

Hence, it looked like Grujic would be staying at Liverpool for at least the next few months when he failed to secure an exit before the October 6th deadline.

However, with the transfer window still open in Portugal, he was able to move to Porto on loan instead. The move will allow him to gain more regular gametime than he would have got at Liverpool.

Now, Grujic has reflected on who was interested in him during the transfer window – insisting that he has made the right decision.

He told Alo! (via Sport Witness): “Werder, whose coach [Florian] Kohfeldt is a great friend of Klopp, has been in the story for a long time, but I did not see a perspective there.

“Borussia [Monchengladbach] was a realistic option. [Valentino] Lazaro and [Breel] Embolo praised their coach, [Marco] Rose, to me.

“This attempt did not yield results, because they failed to sell the currently injured [Denis] Zakaria, but I believe that one day I will cooperate with Rose.”

 

Champions League crucial to Grujic decision

One of the main reasons Grujic opted for Porto was their presence in the Champions League – a competition in which he has only made two appearances in his career, both as a substitute for Liverpool.

The Serbian midfielder will now get to experience Europe’s elite competition again, and is ready to repay Porto for the faith they have shown in him.

“I wanted to be at a stable, ambitious club that plays in the Champions League, and Porto is just that,” he said.

“While I was waiting for the flight to Oslo with the national team in Copenhagen, all the details with the ‘Dragons’ were settled.

“Immediately after the break, there will be a derby with Sporting, and then temptations in the Champions League – [Manchester] City, Marseille and Olympiakos. I believe that I will fight for a place with coach Sérgio Conceição and contribute to success.

“I am convinced that it is the right choice, and the Portuguese club were in a hurry to register me for the Champions League, which they did in the end.”

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