Why Aston Villa should pursue Marko Grujic again

According to Birmingham Live, Aston Villa were linked with a move for Liverpool starlet Marko Grujic in the summer. However, an asking price of £18million was enough to deter any approach from clubs and he went on loan to Porto last October.

Grujic has not been afforded chances at Liverpool

Grujic was loaned out to Hertha Berlin at the start of last season and the 24-year-old Serbian international impressed in his loan spell, accumulating 2 goals and an assist from 12 appearances in the Bundesliga. This is Grujic’s second fruitful loan spell on the trot after he helped Cardiff City secure promotion to the Premier League last season.

Grujic, who was signed from Serbian club Red Star Belgrade back in January 2016, was Jurgen Klopp’s first signing at Liverpool. However, the talented midfielder has made only 16 appearances for the Reds across all competitions over the course of these years, with the youngster furthering his development on loan at Red Star Belgrade, Cardiff and Hertha Berlin.

Liverpool are currently well-stocked in the central midfield department, with the likes of Georginio Wijnaldum, Thiago, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Fabinho and Naby Keita all capable of playing in Klopp’s midfield three. Even the emerging Curtis Jones has made his mark in the side.

Aston Villa might be a good fit for Grujic

Aston Villa forked out some money in 2019 as a part of their squad rebuild following their promotion to the Premier League. Several new faces were roped in from across various leagues in Europe, including midfielders Douglas Luiz and Marvelous Nakamba.

Villa already had a strong central midfield unit comprising the likes of John McGinn and Conor Hourihane back from their Championship days and Dean Smith showed a lot of faith in both the players in the Premier League as well.

Central midfield is one area where a lot of depth is desirable and Marko Grujic looks more than capable of doing a job for Smith’s side next term. The 24-year-old caught the eye in his loan spell in the Bundesliga, carving out a reputation for himself as a goalscoring central midfielder.

That should definitely appeal to the Villans, who scored only 41 goals in 38 games last season and need more direct goal involvements from their midfielders.

Grujic definitely fits the bill in that regard, while his knowledge of the English game means that the Midlands outfit can afford to look at him as an immediate game-changer in the middle. Moreover, the acquisition of a quality player like Grujic would definitely promote healthy competition for places in the midfield.

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Marko Grujic still has his best years ahead of him at 24, meaning that he could be an excellent long-term investment for Aston Villa. With that in mind, the Villans shouldn’t hesitate to match Liverpool’s £18m valuation of the Serbian international.