Benfica’s Markovic to Sign For Liverpool This Week?

Hot on the heels of the signings of Lallana and Can this week, Liverpool look to be closing on a deal for Benfica’s Lazar Markovic for a reported fee of £19.8 million.

Initially reported by a Portuguese sports journalist on Twitter, the news gathered pace and was picked up and reported by some, more reputable sources. It is now believed that the deal is agreed and that the player is due in Liverpool for his medical over the next 48 hours. It now seems almost certain that a move for the Serbian international will happen this week, provided there are no last-minute hitches.

With Suarez likely to be on his way to Barcelona in the next week, it’s not clear whether the signing of Markovic will be as a result of losing Suarez, particularly as he appears to be an alternative to Alexis Sanchez who appears to be preferring a move to Arsenal, rather than signing for Liverpool.

What is clear is that Liverpool have had a long-term interest in the 20 year old Serbian and he is both a highly-regarded youngster and a player that will be ready to go straight into the first team, having already amassed an impressive 124 senior team appearances over his short career so far, including 21 goals from midfield.

While the name may not yet be a household name in the manner of Suarez, Messi, et al, there are many that believe Markovic will grow into one of the stars of the world game and while the initial fee may seem a bit steep for a 20 year old with no Premier League experience, he will bring a great deal of quality to the Liverpool squad and add some much needed depth that was missing at times last season.