Liverpool have been moving quickly to add bodies to their attack with Luis Suarez’s move to Barcelona set to be finalized in the coming days.
Southampton duo Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana have been joined by Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Emre Can on Merseyside, and it’s looking like Reds boss Brendan Rodgers will be adding some more fire power shortly with highly rated Benfica winger Lazar Markovic on deck. Though at first the rumour sounded tentative at best, it’s been widely reported in the press that the Portuguese club are in advanced talks with the Anfield outfit over a £25mil move for the youngster with a deal expected to be wrapped up by the end of the week.
Video courtesy of Rayted Are
There’s sure to questions as to why the Reds are prepared to drop such a large chunk of cash on a relatively unproven starlet, but it’s a move that could very well pay out in full as his development rapidly progresses. Long linked with a move to Chelsea, the 20-year old nearly moved to Stamford Bridge during his days at Partizan Belgrade, but with the move collapsing at the last minute, he made the switch to Benfica last June on a five year contract for £9mil as Jorge Jesus’s side went on to complete a domestic treble in Portugal.
Although he was forced to sit out the Europa League Final through suspension as the Portuguese giants lost out to La Liga side Sevilla on penalties, he was named to the team of the tournament — a plaudit that wouldn’t surprise Serbia coach Ljubinko Drulovic. “It’ll be good for him and Benfica,” said the manager of his proposed move to the Premier League. “Going to a very strong league will help him even more to become a major player worldwide. He’s 20 years old and has a long time to play. Markovic could prove to become a very important player in Europe.”
That, of course, is what Liverpool are banking on. With a move for Belgian striker Divock Origi all but wrapped up, Markovic will be the third highly rated youngster to move to Anfield this summer with a move for former Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Emre Can already completed. Bringing in and developing budding talent has been the hallmark of Liverpool under the ownership of Fenway Sports Group and their not deviating from the plan one bit by targeting the 20-year old winger.
While Rodgers new crop of youngsters may not make up for Suarez’s departure right away, like Drulovic said, they have a lot of football left to play, and at this point, the sky’s the limit — maybe he was wrong about this being good for both sides?
–Steven
