Liverpool sign 19-year-old Marko Grujic from Red Star Belgrade for £5.1m

LONDON. KAZINFORM - Liverpool have completed the £5.1m transfer of the Serbian midfielder Marko Grujic from Red Star Belgrade. The 19-year-old has signed a four-and-a-half year deal at Anfield but will be loaned back to Serbia's league leaders for the remainder of the season.

Internazionale and Chelsea were among other clubs interested in Grujic, part of the Serbia squad who won the Under-20 World Cup last year, but the playmaker opted for Liverpool following a personal intervention from Jürgen Klopp. The Liverpool manager moved for the first signing of his Anfield reign at the request of his assistant Zeljko Buvac and a deal was agreed in principle during talks in Belgrade before Christmas, according to The Guardian.

Red Star insisted on retaining their academy graduate for the rest of this season's title challenge and attempt to qualify for the Champions League.
"We're very pleased because Marko is a big talent and we've seen him a lot of times," Klopp told Liverpool's website. "When I came here, our scouts showed me some footage of a very skilled player from Red Star Belgrade. We watched it, we spoke to him, we met each other - he's a good boy, a young boy but plays an important role at Red Star, who are the best team in Serbia.
"To describe him, I would say he's a tall boy but quick and good at technical things. He can play passes and can dribble. But he is young, so he has to develop. He will do this, so everything is OK."
Grujic had a medical on Merseyside on Monday and is due to return to Liverpool for pre-season training in July.
"I'm very excited and so proud to be here," Grujic said. "I can't wait to get started, play at Anfield and train at Melwood. I was thinking about my progress in my next period and decided it was good for me to come here to try to be the best I can. I want to play in front of one of the loudest set of fans in Europe at Anfield.
"I also like the atmospheres at other stadiums, the crowds are very good. I like to play under pressure and that's why I've come here - because it brings out the best in me."
Liverpool are also considering their options for a central defender in January having finished Tuesday's Capital One Cup semi-final win at Stoke City with all of their available, experienced options injured. Tiago Ilori is expected to return from Aston Villa once his season-long loan deal is cancelled but is not viewed as a long-term solution while Joel Matip, the Schalke defender who is out of contract in the summer, has yet to decide on his future.
Photograph: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images