Croatian international Dejan Lovren is now a wanted man in Italy, with AC Milan taking keen interest in the defender.
As per Italian website Tuttomercatoweb, Lovren, who will be behind Joe Gomez and Joel Matip in the pecking order, could be sold if the Reds receive a good bid.
The website claims that Liverpool will hold out at a price of €20 million, which could be a decent signing for the Italian giants.
But can Liverpool afford to lose him?
Dejan Lovren And His Importance To Liverpool
Liverpool’s defence is currently one of the best in Europe. Known for being one of the most error-prone defences in the league before Klopp joined, Liverpool are now hard to breach, and credit should be given to Jurgen Klopp.
The addition of Virgil van Dijk did help, but the rest of the players have also improved. The likes of Gomez and Matip were outstanding lasts season, which meant that Lovren dropped down to be the fourth choice.
The Croatian did play crucial games against Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City twice and Manchester United last season, and Liverpool conceded just five goals in those games.
He is also the first choice defender for his national side and at 29, is easily one of the most established defenders in world football at the moment.
Lovren does have a couple of years still at his prime and provides quality and depth to the Liverpool side that will look to go all guns blazing for the Premier League title in the upcoming campaign.
The Reds needs all the help they can get to compete with a club like Manchester City and losing quality players is something they should avoid.
Liverpool are not expected to use Lovren regularly, but the Croatian will be the first choice for Klopp in most of the domestic cups and will get his fair share of chances if the injury history of Gomez and Matip are anything to go by.
Also, losing the former Lyon star will mean that Liverpool will have to search for another defender, who is ready to step up from the first, which will not be easy in this transfer market.
The Anfield outfit did sign a prodigious talent in Sepp van den Berg earlier this summer but it is hard to see the 17-year old make an immediate impact on the English league.
Lovren does only has a couple of years left on his current deal with Liverpool which might see him quit the club for a cheaper price next season.
However, having him in the squad this season, rather than looking for replacements in an inflated market makes a lot more sense for the league runners up from the previous campaign.
He may not be the best defender in the world, but Lovren has now qualified for three major finals in the last two seasons and deserves to fight for his place in the first team next season.
His camaraderie with Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah is just another reason to keep him at the club. So unless Klopp miraculously finds a cheap replacement for Lovren, Liverpool should not even be entertaining offers for the Croatian this summer.
