Chelsea After Liverpool's Teenage Serbian Target - Report

May 11, 2012 11:24 AM EDT

Chelsea, who have already confirmed the signing of 23-year-old German attacking midfielder Marko Marin from Werder Bremen, are reportedly trying to make a move on Liverpool teenage target  Lazar Markovic, who currently plays as a  attacking midfielder for Serbian club Partizan Belgrade, according to a Daily Mail report

According to a Goal.com report, the 18-year-old attacking midfielder, who is priced at around £5.6 million, has been personally recommended to Roman Abramovich by former Chelsea boss Avram Grant (currently the manager of Partizan Belgrade).

Markovic, who has played 31 games for the Partizan Belgrade this season, was voted as the Partizan Player of the Year in 2011 following his excellent performances for the Serbian outfits.

Also, the midfielder, who is usually used as a second striker by Grant, has expressed his desire to play for Chelsea, saying that he a big fan of Ivorian striker Didier Drogba.

Drogba, who has been at the centre of media speculation following his uncertain future with Chelsea, could well finish his career at Stamford Bridge if Chelsea manage to win the Champions League, says Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay.

The 34-year-old star, who found the nets in some crucial games for the Blues including in the finals of the FA Cup against Liverpool, had earlier been rumoured to make a move to China after leaving Chelsea.

"We have been discussing things with Didier. Everyone knows he is in the last year of his contract. Ongoing conversations have been held with Didier since January. Didier loves Chelsea and we all love him and we will continue to be in dialogue. We will discuss things after the Champions League final next week," the Daily Mail quoted Gourlay as saying.

"Didier and the rest of the team are completely focused on what we've got to achieve in the next week and, once that's finished, we'll sit down," ESPN quotedGourlay as saying.

Apart from Drogba's future, the fate of Chelsea interim manager Roberto Di Matteo, whose future at Stamford Bridge is also uncertain, will be decided after the Blues Champions League clash with German outfit Bayern Munich.

"My position and the board's position on Robbie haven't changed. We said we would wait until the end of the season and we would sit down and review the situation," he added.

Get the Most Popular Stories in a Weekly Newsletter
Array

Join the Conversation

  • Get Connected
  • Share
  • Like Us on Facebook
  • @sportswr
  • Recommend on Google
Real Time Analytics