Liverpool to loan Marko Grujic to the Championship

Bengaluru, January 17: Out of favour Liverpool midfielder Marko Grujic is likely to go on loan to a Championship club for the second half of the season.

Jurgen Klopp is keen for the 21-year-old Serbian to gain experience after finding his opportunities limited so far this season.

Grujic has only made six appearances for the Reds this season and hasn’t featured since the win at Brighton in early December.

Premier League sides Huddersfield Town and West Ham have expressed an interest but Liverpool have been seeking guarantees that Grujic would start matches rather than simply be a squad player and both sides cannot offer that to the Serbian wonderkid.

As a result a temporary spell in England’s second tier is on the cards with a host of Championship clubs having contacted the Reds to express their willingness to give him the regular first-team football he craves. Liverpool are now considering the options on the table.

Galatasaray wanted to take him to Turkey but Klopp is adamant that Grujic, who cost the Reds £5.1million from Red Star Belgrade in January 2016, won’t be going abroad.

He wants the Serbian to gain experience in English football as he believes that the 21-year-old has a bright future for Liverpool.

The Serbian was the first-ever signing of Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. He was signed in January 2016 but did not join the club till the summer of 2016.

Since then, he has been unlucky with injuries and has not adapted to English football yet due to lack of playing time.

Klopp rates Grujic highly and still sees him as part of his long-term plans. He wants him to stay in England to continue his development.

Speaking about Grujic recently, Klopp said: “I like the boy a lot. He has made progress like hell. His heading is outstanding but he doesn’t make the squad a lot which isn’t the best thing for him.

“We will think about a loan. We always want to help the players. I really see Marko in the future playing for Liverpool. We have to see what we can do to make it more likely that he comes through in the near future.”