Jurgen Klopp wanted to bring Lazar Markovic to Anfield in January, but his contract didn’t allow him to return to his parent club midway through the season.
According to reports from Turkish newspaper Sabah, Liverpool are not looking to sell him in the summer, even if someone were to offer £20m for his signature.
Markovic joined Liverpool in 2014 after enjoying a highly successful season with Portuguese club Benfica. He came to Anfield with a lot of expectations and high promise, but failed to make a strong impact under former Reds manager Brendan Rodgers.
The Serbian was loaned to Fenerbahce last summer and Markovic said the Northern Irishman was to blame for his exit.
“I had no problem with Brendan Rodgers and we had a bond until, for some reason that remains a mystery to me, he changed,” Markovic said as quoted by Sky Sports.
“He stopped playing me and then at the start of the season he didn’t even include me in the squad, and nobody explained to me what was going on or what his plans were, so I decided to leave.”
Markovic has scored twice in 12 starts for Fenerbahce and played the full 90 minutes in two of his last three Super Lig games. The Turkish club could face Liverpool this season, with both clubs still involved in the Europa League.
The 21-year-old deserves a fair chance at Liverpool to show his potential, and Klopp may well want to take a closer look at him in pre-season in the summer before deciding to sell him permanently. Liverpool have followed Markovic closely this season and have reportedly watched him in every game he’s played.