Lazio are linked with a move for Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren.
According to a report from Italian outlet Messaggero, the 29-year-old is valued at 10-12 million Euros by the Anfield club. Other than Lazio, Italian clubs in Napoli and AC Milan have also shown interest in the Reds centre-back.
The Croatian international managed only 18 appearances across all competitions starting a mere 13 games. Having seen his game time reduced under Jurgen Klopp drastically, he is likely to be one of the expected departures from Anfield this summer.
Should the Reds let him leave?
Lovren was the face of Liverpool’s defence until Virgil Van Dijk arrived at Anfield last year. The Reds defence has been the best in the country since then with the Dutchman at the heart of it. The likes of Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Lovren have partnered Van Dijk on various occasions with the former Saints man being the common denominator.
It has been a tough season for the 29-year-old Lovren who started the campaign with a pelvis injury. He lost his place to a young Gomez who impressed everyone with his performances and became a fan favourite in no time.
Lovren, however, did make a come-back but was left on the bench on one too many occasions and then suffered another injury which remained the Croatian’s story for the entirety of the 2018/19 season. The resurgence of Matip did not help either as Lovren is now believed to be a surplus to requirements at Anfield and is likely to be shipped out in the summer.
Finishing within a point of lifting the Premier League title and reaching back to back Champions League finals, winning the second one, under the German manager Klopp, the standards required to feature in the Liverpool back four has taken a hike and many believe that an ageing Lovren, who will be 30 before the next season kicks-off in August, isn’t fit to lead the charge at the back.
The 29-year-old arrived at Merseyside for £22.8m five years ago and will leave the club for around half of that value. From an economic point of view, it sounds like an excellent decision as it doesn’t look wise to keep a senior player with decent wages only for him to play a secondary role from the bench.
This move will also help Liverpool in building for the future and nurture young defenders from early on, giving them a chance or two in the cup games which could possibly have fallen to Dejan. Another centre-back signing or a youngster’s promotion from the academy could be on the cards which sounds feasible with the presence of Van Dijk in the backline.
All in all, letting Lovren go sounds like a good decision from both an economic and a development perspective for the future of the club.
Stat Courtesy: Transfermarkt
