Marko Grujic‘s proposed move to Porto is now in doubt due to a chain of events that sparked Gennaro Gattuso’s decision to leave Fiorentina after only 23 days in charge.
Grujic is currently due to return to Kirkby for pre-season on July 12, but the midfielder will be made available on a permanent basis following a campaign spend on loan at Porto.
Liverpool will look to raise around £15 million with his sale, but it now remains to be seen whether the Portuguese club will be able to meet their demands.
This comes due to Fiorentina’s reluctance to sign Porto midfielder Sergio Oliveira, with it having been hoped that the fee brought in could then pay for Grujic’s arrival.
It is claimed that a conflict of interest when it came to signings led to Gattuso stepping down from his role as Fioretina manager less than a month after taking over.
Gattuso and Oliveira are both represented by ‘super agent’ Jorge Mendes, and the Italian press have maintained that an €8 million commission required as part of the Oliveira deal saw their pursuit break down.
As it stands, then, Oliveira remains an unwanted Porto player without a suitor, though Portuguese publication Record now claim he is “waiting for Tottenham.”
Tottenham find themselves in a sticky situation of their own, with their search for a successor to Jose Mourinho becoming a laughing stock.
Gattuso was, in fact, their most recent failed target in a long line that includes Julian Nagelsmann, Brendan Rodgers, Hansi Flick, Erik ten Hag, Antonio Conte, Mauricio Pochettino and Paulo Fonseca.
Spurs are now expected to appoint former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who has already been the subject of interest from Everton and Crystal Palace in a strange start to the summer.
The north London club have appointed Fabio Paratici as their new managing director of football, but it remains to be seen whether he or their next manager would be interested in Oliveira.
Where this leaves Grujic is unclear, as Liverpool will remain eager to sell in order to generate funds for further signings, but they could be forced to look elsewhere for a buyer.
It had been claimed that Hertha Berlin would be among the clubs interested in the 25-year-old, but whether they could meet the asking price is another matter entirely.
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