Liverpool Transfer News: Marko Grujic Slams Media, Latest on Joel Matip Rumours

Liverpool target Marko Grujic has criticised the media amid growing reports he's set to complete a move to Anfield this week, while manager Jurgen Klopp is understood to be closing in on Schalke centre-back Joel Matip.

Speaking to Serbian television broadcaster B92 this week, Grujic moved to clear up any speculation regarding his future after it emerged a switch to Anfield was close (h/t Sport Witness):

"

I'm here, I'm happier than ever before. I read what the media write, I can't avoid it... Those who write that everything is agreed are not very well informed media.

[...]

Is it for me the right time to go to the Premier League? I'm not sure. But I would love to one day play there.

"

Those comments go against what's been reported in recent days, with Grujic alleged to be on the brink of a transfer to the English top flight after impressing at Red Star Belgrade.

Goal.com's Melissa Reddy declared the deal will cost Liverpool €7 million, but they'll recoup €1 million of that in exchange for Grujic remaining on loan in Belgrade for the rest of this season. Reddy also quoted Red Star sporting director Zvezdan Terzic, who stated the following on Serbian TV: "We will in the next three days sign a contract with Liverpool. It was a record transfer. Marko Grujic will sign a five-year contract with Liverpool where he will have a €1,200,000 annual net income, which means that he will have six million from Liverpool. He'll get eight on the back."

FourFourTwo's Charles Ducksbury claimed Red Star Belgrade will also reserve a 10 percent sell-on fee as part of Grujic's contract:

The teenager will reportedly become a Liverpool player in January but won't officially arrive at the club until the summer, and Chris Bascombe of the Daily Telegraph declared that could be the case for Matip also.

Klopp will look to his native Bundesliga for a centre-back recruit, and Schalke's Matip is free to pen a pre-contract agreement this winter due to the fact his Veltins-Arena deal comes to an end in the summer.

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Bascombe mentioned the Miners are eager to agree to a new deal with their defensive totem, but the promise of linking up with Klopp in the Premier League could be a big temptation.

The Daily Mirror's Alex Richards recently confirmed a January move was off the cards for the 24-year-old, adding that Newcastle United also hold an interest in the player:

It shows a certain trust in his existing troops that Klopp isn't desperate to chase transfers in the winter window, with both Grujic and Matip promising to offer young hope in midfield and defence, should they arrive.

It appears as though the finishing touches merely need addressing in the case of Grujic, whose recent comments suggest a mature frame of mind for a player reportedly making the biggest move of his life.

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A deal for Matip isn't understood to be close just yet, but Klopp will be familiar with a player his Borussia Dortmund side frequently lined up against in the Bundesliga's Revierderby.

This forward-thinking approach could come to yield serious benefits for a club that saw its recruitment criticised under former manager Brendan Rodgers, with successor Klopp looking to employ a different strategy.