Liverpool are reportedly in talks with European giants AS Roma over the sale of beleaguered first-team star Dejan Lovren.
According to Italian journalist Nicolo Schira, Liverpool are accelerating the procedure of offloading Dejan Lovren before the summer transfer window slams shut in Europe. The Reds are in talks with AS Roma, who want the Croat on a season-long loan deal, with an option to buy him next summer.
It has been quite the roller coaster ride for Dejan Lovren at Liverpool, having joined the Merseyside club in the summer of 2014. One of several players who have traded Southampton for the Reds over the years, the Croatian international has flitted in and out of the side over the last half-a-decade.
Summit tra gli agenti di #Lovren e Petrachi. La #Roma ha offerto un prestito oneroso (€2 milioni) con diritto di riscatto (€16 milioni) e che può diventare obbligo al raggiungimento di tot presenze. Il #Liverpool vuole €20M, ma ha aperto alla possibile cessione. #calciomercato
— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) August 9, 2019
Upon the arrival of Virgil van Dijk nearly 20 months ago, Lovren had showed a lot of improvement. But, he has since been usurped in the first-team setup by Joe Gomez and Joel Matip. As a result, heading into the summer transfer window, the 30-year-old’s Liverpool future has been up in the air.
Interest in the player has primarily surfaced from Italy, with AC Milan heavily linked with him for weeks. But, the Rossoneri seem to have cooled their interest in him, with Serie A rivals AS Roma now in the hunt for the beleaguered Liverpool star, according to Nicolo Schira.
Roma have been rumoured to be on the trails of Lovren previously, and the resurfacing of the interest in the Croat makes sense. Kostas Manolas joined Napoli this summer and while Gianluca Mancini has joined the Giallorossi on loan from Atalanta, the Serie A giants still have a dearth of centre-backs.
Apart from Mancini, Paulo Fonseca has Juan Jesus and Federico Fazio as his only other central defensive options. As a result, Lovren is a viable target for Roma, whose sporting director Gianluca Petrachi is in talks with his representatives, as well as Liverpool, as per Schira.
Roma have offered to take Lovren on a season-long deal, with a loan fee of €2 million. The terms of this deal would also give them the option to buy the 30-year-old for €16 million. Liverpool though, want €20 million in exchange for his services next year, which would still be a drop from the earlier reported price.
But, the Reds are open to such a deal, with the aforementioned option to buy turning into an obligation if Lovren makes a certain number of appearances this season. For all intents and purposes though, this looks like a deal that could see the light of the day, especially with Lovren now the fourth-choice centre-back at Liverpool, although some details need to be sorted out first.
