Why Liverpool are open to selling Dejan LovrenRoma and AC Milan are interested in Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren and the club have named their transfer price
Liverpool look set to sell defender Dejan Lovren.
Interest has been registered by Serie A giants Roma and AC Milan and the Reds have set an asking price of ?15million (£13.9m) plus bonuses taking the deal up to ?20m for the centre-back.
The Croatia international has fallen down the pecking order at Anfield with Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez being considered for selection ahead of him - evidenced when he was left out of Jurgen Klopp's matchday squad to face Norwich on Friday night .
Should Lovren leave Anfield , where he has two years left on a contract believed to be worth just under £100,000-a-week, it will leave the manager with three senior centre-backs to choose from in the upcoming season.
The quality and pedigree of the remaining trio cannot be questioned - Gomez and Van Dijk fostered a formidable partnership in the heart of defence in the early stages of last season before the young England international suffered with injury and that solid alliance looks set to return this campaign.
Matip deputised with aplomb next to the big Dutchman too, leading the Reds to a sixth European Cup win in June, in Lovren's absence after the former Southampton star suffered with injury himself - something which has plagued his Liverpool career.
Lovren is yet to play 10 games consecutively for the Reds since moving from Southampton for around £20million in the summer of 2014.Liverpool's defensive crisis of last season will be fresh in the minds of the faithful Kop - Gomez and Matip suffered injury within one week in December and then Lovren was injured himself in January, leaving Van Dijk as the only senior and recognised centre-back available.
Firstly, the Reds have more options available this season after signing 17-year-old Sepp van den Berg from PEC Zwolle as one of the most highly-rated young centre-backs on the planet while Dutch compatriot Ki-Jana Hoever, also 17, was already at the club and even made his first-team debut under Klopp against Wolves in the FA Cup last season - after Lovren got injured.
Both teenage defenders are very able, of that there is no doubt, but it is probably too soon to expect two relatively unproven and inexperienced youngsters to step up into the middle of a defence which helped their side claim the European Cup in June.
However, the likes of Van den Berg have been brought in to do just that should he be required and the time he's already spent at Melwood with the first-team. The experience he is set to get over the course of this season will unquestionably help him on his way to making the grade at Liverpool.
And then there is Fabinho as a player who the Reds would see become their de facto fourth-choice centre-back should a deal for Lovren go through before the European transfer windows close later this month.
Liverpool have a number of very high quality players who can operate in the No.6 midfield position - including the Brazilian - but he is also able to play in the heart of defence as he demonstrated masterfully last season when Klopp was short of options as previously outlined.
Lovren has a huge amount of experience and a lot of ability, so is naturally someone supporters see as a solid squad member, but Klopp is fortunate to be well-stocked in that area with experienced players and young talent so the Croat maybe on the move to the Italian top flight.
What the Reds will miss if he goes though is of course that experience but also a big personality in the squad.
However, if his desire is also to play more regular first-team football then the deal appears to make sense for everyone involved and he will no doubt leave with the best wishes of everyone at the club.
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/dejan-lovren-transfer-news-liverpool-16741353
