Fulham complete late deal for Liverpool's Lazar Markovic

Premier League strugglers Fulham made a surprise swoop for forgotten Liverpool winger Lazar Markovic on a busy transfer deadline day.

The Cottagers also managed to offload controversial forward Aboubakar Kamara and sign Norway international Havard Nordtveit on loan.

The move for Markovic, which was announced after the 11pm Thursday deadline passed, was unexpected. The Serbian has signed on a short-term permanent deal until the end of the season after being released by the Merseysiders.

Markovic failed to make an impression at Anfield after arriving from Benfica in 2014. He made just 34 appearances for the club, scoring three goals, and has had loan spells at has had loans at Fenerbahce, Sporting Lisbon, Hull and Anderlecht in recent seasons.

The Cottagers, 19th in the table and six points off safety, will hope he can give the club a lift.

Vice chairman Tony Khan told the club’s website: “Lazar Markovic is a gifted young player. We’re pleased to welcome him from Liverpool for the remainder of the season.

“Lazar is known as a great team-mate, he has the support of our manager and he has the talent to strengthen our attack.”

Markovic’s signing came after Kamara joined Turkish club Yeni Malatyaspor on loan.

The 23-year-old had been banned from all club-related activity at Craven Cottage pending internal disciplinary proceedings.

Kamara was arrested last week after a confrontation at the training ground and allegedly previously clashed with Aleksandar Mitrovic during a yoga session.

Nordtveit was another deadline-day arrival, signing on loan from Hoffenheim for the remainder of the season.

The 28-year-old, who can operate at centre-back or as a defensive midfielder, is familiar with England after a spell at West Ham in 2016-17.

Nordtveit said: “I’m really happy to have the opportunity to come back to the Premier League and hopefully help Fulham to a safe place. That would be a something that I would put high on my list in my career.

“The situation Fulham is in now, it’s more or less the same that Borussia Monchengladbach was in (in 2010-11). They were down the bottom of the table, a much worse situation, eight points off a safe place, and we made it.

“It’s a feeling that I want again because it’s a feeling you can’t get anywhere else, just on a football pitch.”