Liverpool opinion: The €40m conundrum Liverpool face with Marko Grujic

ESPN claims that Liverpool are looking at €40m for Serbian midfielder Marko Grujic.

The 23-year-old joined Hertha Berlin on a season-long loan and has been great for the Bundesliga side.

The Serbian has earned a lot of praise from manager Pal Dardai for his exploits this season, with the Hertha boss even claiming Grujic the best midfielder he has ever seen at the club (h/t Bundesliga.com).

However, ESPN claims that Atletico Madrid are looking at Grujic as a replacement for Rodri. The Spaniard could join Manchester City should his release clause be met.

Grujic’s stock has been on the rise since his move to Cardiff last season. The Serbian helped them gain promotion and also was part of the national team that played at the World Cup.

Grujic and Harry Wilson have impressed away on loan this season, and the Serbian even spoke about staying with Berlin for another year or more to play more (h/t Liverpool Echo)

“Ultimately, it’s not up to me. But if I could choose myself, I would stay with Hertha for another year, or maybe even two years, to make a very good name for myself by improving all my qualities. And that’s only possible if you play in every game.”

Sell, loan or keep?

Liverpool face a major decision regarding Grujic’s future next season. The Serbian has shown glimpses of quality in the Bundesliga this season and could do a job for us once he returns to Anfield.

The 23-year-old, however, would not be a starter in most games as the Reds are stacked with several midfield options.

Fabinho has been excellent this season while Jordan Henderson has been revitalised in the second half of the campaign.

James Milner’s experience is important for the Reds while Georginio Wijnaldum puts a shift in every game.

Naby Keita is also finding his feet and we should see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain return to first-team action too.

We have Adam Lallana, who has struggled with injuries in recent seasons. Grujic could be ahead of a couple of players in the pecking order but he needs to play regular football to continue his development.

That won’t happen easily thanks to some stellar performances this season. However, sending him out on loan for another season also could work out.

The next step for Grujic could be European football. Berlin will not play in Europe next season, and the Serbian could be on the move again.

Liverpool make big sales from squad players

The Reds have made decent money from the sales of Dominic Solanke and Danny Ings this season. Neither of the strikers were going to start games regularly, and selling them made sense.

Danny Ward was sold to Leicester at the start of this season, and we have made a killing selling players such as Jordon Ibe, Christian Benteke and Mamadou Sakho to Premier League rivals.

There could be a feeling that €40m is the best they could eke out from Grujic’s sale. The Serbian has had his injury concerns at Hertha this season, and we could invest this money for a position that needs strengthening immediately.