Markovic claims money was not sticking point in failed move to Anderlecht

Lazar Markovic has claimed that money was not the reason his proposed move to Anderlecht collapsed on deadline day, according to the player himself.

The Serbian had been linked with an Anfield exit in the run-up to the end of the transfer window, and despite interest from Anderlecht and PAOK, a late move collapsed at the final hurdle.

Liverpool had agreed a fee with the Belgian side somewhere in the region of £3 million for Markovic, where the 24-year-old had spent a brief period on loan in the latter half of the 2017-18 campaign.

Markovic scored one goal in five appearances for the Brussels outfit, as Anderlecht finished third behind Standard Liege and champions Club Brugge.

In the aftermath of the failed deal, Anderlecht manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck claimed that responsibility lay entirely with the Serbian.

The Independent quote Vanhaezebrouck as saying:

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.

The player, however, is adamant that money was not the reason for his staying in Liverpool.

Taking to Twitter, Markovic did not reveal his ultimate motivating factor in the decision, but stated it had nothing to do with finances.

Twitter: Thank you for making such a great effort for trying to get me back in the club. However, money was not the issue !!… https://t.co/bnOPM7HQ5c (@LMarkec50)

Anderlecht will now embark upon their Europa League campaign without the former Benfica winger.