Anderlecht manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck has blamed Liverpool winger Lazar Markovic for the collapse of a deadline day move to the Belgian side.
Liverpool were desperate to get the Serbian off their wage bill and even lowered his transfer price to £2.9m, a value on which they reached an agreement with Anderlecht.
Markovic flew to Belgium to try and get the transfer done but failed to agree personal terms with the club where he spent the second half of last season on loan.
Anderlecht manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck: “Our president and sports director did everything to convince Markovic. They waited until Liverpool lowered the price. They almost did a crazy effort for the player, but it wasn’t enough. It’s his own fault that the deal fell through.” #lfc pic.twitter.com/BOJQo5xDmh
— Kristof Terreur (@HLNinEngeland) September 3, 2018
Instead, Markovic will watch a few more months of his career tick by at Anfield, but Vanhaezebrouck says that the 23-year-old has only himself to blame.
"Our president and sports director did everything to convince Markovic," said the Belgian manager, quoted by Kristof Terreur.
"They waited until Liverpool lowered the price. They almost did a crazy effort for the player, but it wasn’t enough. It’s his own fault that the deal fell through."
Liverpool signed Markovic from Benfica for £20m in 2014 but he only made 19 league appearances for the Reds before they farmed him out on loan to Fenerbahce the following season.
He has since spent time with Sporting CP, Hull City and Anderlecht, finally appearing to find a home at the latter, but now he will be stuck at Anfield until January at the earliest.
His contract finally expires next summer, when he will be free to leave.