Premier League duo Cardiff City and Crystal Palace both missed out on signing Liverpool’s Marko Grujic and now he is reportedly set for a move to Russia.
Crystal Palace were keen to give Marko Grujic a chance at Selhurst Park this summer, according to the Express. But the Serbian midfielder had his heart set on a return to Cardiff City and snubbed the chance to join up with Roy Hodgson’s side.
By the end of the transfer window, however, even Cardiff had failed to get a deal for the Liverpool midfielder over the line.
Grujic helped the Bluebirds win promotion from the Championship in a loan spell during the second half of last season. But, speaking to the BBC, Neil Warnock claimed that a contract issue prevented Cardiff from bringing the former Red Star Belgrade starlet back to South Wales.
And this would have been a blow for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who felt that regular Premier League football at another club would stand Grujic in good stead for a long-term future at Anfield.
Instead, the 22-year-old appears to be heading to Russia. According to Republika, CSKA Moscow are close to signing Grujic in what is likely to be a season-long loan deal.
CSKA finished second last season, two points behind champions Lokomotiv Moscow, but will be playing Champions League football in 2018/19 if they navigate a play-off round.
So Grujic, who joined Liverpool for £5.1 million in January 2016, should still benefit from exposure to football at the top level.
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