The 19-year-old, who moved to Anfield for £5.1 million last month to become Jurgen Klopp's first signing, insists he would have rejected the La Liga giants for the Reds
Liverpool new boy Marko Grujic has revealed he would have rejected Real Madrid and Barcelona to move to Anfield.
The 19-year-old midfielder joined the Merseysiders from Red Star Belgrade for £5.1 million last month and was immediately loaned back to the Serbian club until the end of the season.
And Grujic has instantly endeared himself to Liverpool fans by declaring that even the two La Liga giants could not have prevented him from signing for the Reds.
"The upcoming six months will be very important for me," he told Blic. "I will have a lot of work to do in addition to my training and games at Red Star.
“The players in Liverpool are phenomenal so I have to work on improving my physical strength. I have to become strong enough because I want to be able to go into a duel with anyone.
“Liverpool players looked physically flawless. Wide shoulders and strong legs. Everything is on the highest level.
“I would choose Liverpool over Real Madrid and Barcelona. I love them! I love the Premier League because of the energy and the atmosphere.”
The Serbia Under-21 international also revealed that he sought out the advice of countryman Lazar Markovic before completing the move.
And Markovic, who signed for Liverpool in 2014 and is currently on loan at Fenerbahce, gave the club a ringing endorsement.
“I spoke with Lazar Markovic and he told me good things about the club,” he added.
“He told me that Liverpool is a great club, that the pressure and expectations are enormous, and that the first two to three months are the most important.
“I will have to prove myself during that period and show my qualities. I will have to show what I am made of. I am very confident.”
Grujic became Jurgen Klopp's first signing as Liverpool manager when he completed his move in the January transfer window.
And the teenager revealed how the former Borussia Dortmund boss convinced him to sign on the dotted line.
"Everything started with the now famous phone call from Klopp," he said. "No-one told me that he was going to call. I was just sitting around when my phone started ringing and I saw a number on the screen starting with +44… England!
"When I answered I immediately recognised that German accent and that voice. He did most of the talking and told me about the plans that he had for me.
“His vision is that I should be something between a No 6 and a No 10. What they call a box-to-box midfielder.
“My only request was that I didn’t want to be loaned out, I just want to play for Liverpool. He was very open, told me about how he sees my development.
“When a coach like that calls you on the phone personally, that’s the greatest privilege. That call really cemented my desire to join Liverpool.
“He is famous as someone who likes to work with young players. He has made [Neven] Subotic, [Robert] Lewandowski and [Shinji] Kagawa.”
Grujic has played 23 times for Red Star Belgrade this term, scoring five goals.
- Goal