Liverpool Winger Slams His Treatment by Reds and 'Unrealistic' Transfer Fee Demands

Liverpool winger Lazar Marković has expressed his frustration with the way he has been treated by the Reds.

The Serbian is currently on loan at Belgian club Anderlecht and scored his first goal in 364 days last weekend in his side's 2-1 defeat by Genk. 

Speaking after the game and quoted by Belgian newspaper DH, the winger hit out at the Reds' refusal to make his loan move to Belgium permanent.

Asked about his reaction after scoring his goal, he said: "It’s to show that I’m still the same player, to show the people at Liverpool that they can’t treat me that way."

In particular, Marković condemned Liverpool's refusal to sell him for what he would have considered a reasonable price: "It’s okay to take it personally when you are not let go because they’re asking for an unrealistic transfer amount."

He insisted that his anger with his parent club had been simmering for some time, and that his comments were not just a spur-of-the-moment outburst: "I’ve been thinking about it for months, that’s what I think."

Jan Kruger/GettyImages

Marković first arrived at Anfield in 2014 after a £20m move from Benfica. However, he has not played for the Reds since 2015, after a disappointing season in which he scored just three goals in 34 appearances.

Anderlecht is the fourth club the Serb has joined on loan, after spells at Fenerbahçe, Sporting CP and Hull City.

When the winger joined Anderlecht at the end of the January transfer window, his fitness was widely called into question. Nevertheless - thanks in part to a special training programme - he has confounded his critics so far with a series of impressive performances.