Liverpool transfer news: Marko Grujic joins Porto on loan with further player departures planned in January

Jurgen Klopp’s maiden signing leaves on his third loan spell after failing to secure an £18m move to Werder Bremen on deadline day

Liverpool’s Marko Grujic has left the club on loan to join Porto (Getty)

Liverpool’s Marko Grujic has secured a season-long loan with Porto after Werder Bremen failed to meet the £18m valuation for the midfielder.

There is no option to buy included in the agreement, but the player is keen to test himself at Champions League level with the Portuguese giants.

The temporary switch of Danilo Pereira from Estadio do Dragao to Paris Saint-Germain freed up a spot for Grujic, who will join up with his new side after Serbia’s fixtures against Norway, Hungary and Turkey.

It will be his third loan move after spells with Cardiff City and Hertha Berlin bar his initial stay at Red Star Belgrade since becoming the first signing of the Jurgen Klopp era.

Liverpool had hoped to sell the 24-year-old ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline, but Bremen could not meet their asking price even on flexible payment terms.

Xherdan Shaqiri, the latest player of the Premier League champions to test positive for coronavirus, was expected to depart before the window shut but no concrete bids were forthcoming.

Burnley dropped their interest in Harry Wilson after failing with a £12m offer, but Liverpool expect to further trim their fringe in January.