Chelsea
Chelsea Rejection Paves Way For Liverpool As Reds Agree €25m Attacker Deal
Liverpool have agreed a deal worth €25m with Benfica for Lazar Markovic after Chelsea rejected the opportunity to match the Reds bid for the Serbian attacker
The summer transfer window is now open for business and it’s expected to be a busy few weeks as managers strengthen their squads ahead of next season, so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, Liverpool close in on Lazar Markovic.
Image: Express
Liverpool have agreed a deal worth €25m with Benfica for Lazar Markovic after Chelsea rejected the opportunity to match the Merseysiders bid for the Serbian attacker, according to reports.
Markovic has been on Liverpool’s radar for some time and speculation has suggested the two clubs have been in negotiations for several weeks as Brendan Rodgers prepares for the exit of star striker Luis Suarez – who is close to joining Barcelona.
It appears a breakthrough has been made as Sky Sports News are reporting that Benfica accepted the Reds €25m (£19.8m) offer on Saturday night, but were only able to do so after Chelsea passed up on the option to match Liverpool’s offer for the 20-year-old attacker.
Markovic came extremely close to joining Chelsea last summer from Partizan Belgrade and at one point reports even claimed the Blues had agreed to immediately send the player out on loan to Benfica once they have acquired his services. A move to west London eventually fell through and Markovic ended up joining Benfica on a permanent basis, but it appears the Blues must have negotiated a clause into the deal that allowed them to have an option to buy should the Portuguese outfit decide to sell the youngster.
However, with Jose Mourinho seemingly content with his attacking options at Stamford Bridge, it’s paved the way for Markovic to seal a switch to Anfield and it looks as though Liverpool are now closing in on their fourth major signing of the summer following the arrivals of Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Emre Can.
READ MORE –> Chelsea transfer news | Liverpool transfer news
Markovic has impressed during his debut season with Benfica, scoring 5 goals in 26 league appearances, while he’s also got 2 in his 12 caps for Serbia. He’s predominantly a winger but can also play more centrally so he’ll give Brendan Rodgers plenty of options in the final third if and when he completed his move.
