Liverpool’s interest in €20m midfielder confirmed by agent

The agent of Red Star Belgrade midfielder Andrija Maksimovic has named Liverpool among the suitors of his 17-year-old client.

The teenage attacking midfielder recently became the second-youngest debutant in the history of the Serbian national team after establishing himself as a regular feature in the Red Star side. Maksimovic started six times in the Champions League group stage, including against Inter, Barcelona and AC Milan.

Maksimovic's emergence has predictably attracted the attention of Europe's elite and the midfielder's agent has claimed both Liverpool and Aston Villa are chasing his signature.

Red Star director Zvezdan Terzic recently insisted Maksimovic would not be sold for anything less than €20m (£16.6m) - a fee which has stalled negotiations as the youngster is not able to move overseas until he turns 18 in June.

"If it's €20m, then they say we'll wait until June because he can't go anyway, so let's see him off until June," Stojadinovic continued. "If it was €10m and he could go immediately, he would have already been sold.

"I watched Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb to compare [Martin] Baturina, who is rumoured to be worth €25m-€30m, with Maksimovic. And I can say that Terzic is rightfully asking for €20m, if Dinamo is asking for €30m for Baturina, who is 22 years old. I have not seen that Baturina is stronger than Maksimovic in any segment of the game."

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