Marko Grujic has been urged to snub a return to Liverpool and make a permanent switch to Porto this summer.
The Serbian joined the Portuguese giants on a temporary deal back in October, despite Liverpool’s previous stance that they would only consider a permanent exit for the 24-year-old.
The midfielder became Jurgen Klopp’s first signing when he joined Liverpool in January 2016 from Red Star Belgrade, before finishing the season on loan in Serbia.
With first team opportunities limited, Grujic has spent the past two-and-a-half seasons out on loan at Cardiff City and Hertha Berlin respectively.
And although he has found game time limited in the Primeira Liga, Grujic has impressed in the Champions League this season.
The ECHO understands there has been significant interest from several clubs in the Bundesliga and Serie A about acquiring the combative midfielder's services.
The Reds have not made any firm decision on Grujic's future, as they are waiting to speak to the player himself and Porto.
But Zoran Filipovic, who worked with Grujic when he was technical director of Serbia, believes the midfielder should stick with Sergio Conceicao’s side.
“I’ve been following his season. He’s a player with great talent. He’s evolved a lot since leaving Serbia,” Filipovic told Portuguese publication Record via Sport Witness.
“He’s adapting to big clubs. I think he has a great future ahead of him. He can evolve a lot because he has quality for that. I think he’ll improve a lot.
“I think it’d be better for Marko to stay at FC Porto. I think the bad thing about Serbian players has been the fact that they leave their country very early to play in very big clubs, where it’s very difficult to play because of the competition.
“He is an example of that. He went to Liverpool, but he didn’t have the opportunity to play. A young man needs to play, show his quality, evolve. Now at Porto he’s already able to show his quality.”
