Marko Grujic to Liverpool: Red Star Belgrade midfielder due at Anfield this week to finalise £5m move

19-year-old midfielder will undergo a medical ahead of puttting pen-to-paper on a five-year contract

Marko Grujic (left) has been linked with a move to Liverpool (Getty Images)

Liverpool are on the verge of sealing their first new signing under Jurgen Klopp as Red Star Belgrade midfielder Marko Grujic prepares to fly to England to finalise a £5m move, although he will not join up with the Reds until the summer.

19-year-old Grujic will arrive on Merseyside later this week to undergo a full medical and finalise terms on a five-year contract, with the fee set at €7m [£5m]. However, that fee will be offset by €1m [£730,000] as part of a loan deal that will run until the end of the season.

Grujic has publicly spoken of his desire to join Liverpool and admitted that he expected a move to the Premier League to formalise at the end of the season, having starred for Serbia at the Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand back in June this year.

Now the Liverpool Echo is reporting that the club’s chief executive flew out to Belgrade in a bid to secure Grujic after fearing Italian side Inter Milan would trump them in the race for his signature, but the move appears to have been given the green light.

Grujic made it clear he wants to remain with Red Star until the end of the season in a bid to help them qualify for the Champions League and clinch the title, although that already looks to be a formality with the side still unbeaten in the Super Liga and leading the way by an incredible 25 points after 22 matches.

With Ayre arriving in Belgrade last week, manager Klopp also spoke directly to the midfielder, and between them they managed to convince Grujic that his future lies at Anfield.