Liverpool midfielder Lazar Markovic ready to avenge transfer snub by Chelsea

Liverpool's summer signing Lazar Markovic has revealed that he is not incensed by Jose Mourinho's decision to not follow up on his interest in the summer, which eventually led to the player joining the Reds in the summer.

Chelsea reportedly had the right of first refusal on the player in the summer and could have bought him at a much cheaper price than what he was eventually sold for later in the window. However, Mourinho, having scouted him for long, decided to pass up on the player and let him join Liverpool, where he has been a resounding success thus far.

Markovic has an opportunity to show Mourinho what he is capable of when the two teams meet for the first leg in the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup at Anfield.

"I will play this match like every other match and I don't have to prove or show anything to Mourinho. That was Mourinho's opinion. I don't know who expected me to sign for Chelsea. I signed for Liverpool and I am extremely happy with my decision. Djuric is the ex-president so what he expected is different to what I expected," Markovic said.

However, the midfielder still has contacts with Chelsea. His compatriots Branislav Ivanovic and Nemanja Matic are an integral part of the team in west London and he goes to visit them occasionally.

"There was never any pressure from them to sign for Chelsea. Of course, there is more motivation to face Chelsea because of them. I am not sure I will be playing from the start but there is motivation to face them," Markovic stressed.

"I spoke to Matic before I signed for Liverpool. He told me that this is the best league and it will take time to adjust, because it took him time too, but I will get used to it. He said it was an extremely good decision. We will probably text each other before the game. Nothing special – we will just joke about who is going to win and who is going to play better," he added.