Liverpool are yet to loan out midfielder Marko Grujic this summer despite interest from Cardiff City, Galatasaray and Crystal Palace as they’re trying to tie him down to a new contract before he departs, according to Neil Warnock.
The Premier League manager shared that he was still confident that his Cardiff side would win the race to sign the 6ft 3in tall midfielder (Transfermarkt) on loan ahead of the new season and that he thought the decision would be made in the next few days.
The Daily Mail reported on Wednesday that Palace had made a last-ditch attempt to hijack the Bluebird’s efforts to take Grujic on loan while Aksam claimed that Galatasary were the club competing with Warnock’s side for his services.
“I spoke to Marko yesterday, we are still optimistic, but we should know in the next few days,” said Warnock, as quoted by BBC Sport.
“If he’s not staying there I think he will come to us, it all depends on the negotiations.
“There is a contract involved, but it will be resolved, I’m sure they will make a decision shortly.
“I will be disappointed if I don’t get him (Grujic) but it won’t be the end of the world, they have made it clear to us that they want him to come, it’s just up to the player now.”
OPINION
Grujic has certainly attracted enough interest in his services this summer and it seems like it won’t be long before he is loaned out. Given that Warnock spoke to the midfielder yesterday, it seems he is right to be confident about winning the race for his services. The 22-year-old blossomed while on loan with Cardiff last season and it seems like a smart move for him to have another temporary spell with them. It’ll be intriguing to see how the midfielder fares in the Premier League as last season he did appear to look a level-above the Championship. If he proves himself at Cardiff in England’s top-flight in the upcoming campaign then there is no reason to suggest that he won’t be on the verge of breaking into the Reds’ first-team squad when he returns. The midfielder is a promising talent and could add some bite to any top-flight side’s midfield if he performs to his best. The 22-year-old’s current Reds contract doesn’t expire until 2020 but it looks like the Reds are keen to guarantee his long term future before he gains even more admirers while out on loan.
