Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp considered selling Reds centre back Dejan Lovren last summer, and will do so again come the summer of 2020, according to Football Insider.
The outlet claims that the German was prepared to part with the 57-cap Croatia international a few months ago, but no team matched his £20million valuation.
Italian giants Roma were interested, but couldn’t agree a fee and Liverpool rejected a loan bid. However, Klopp has now decided that he won’t sell Lovren in January after the 30-year-old won back his place in the Reds team recently.
The Liverpool boss has put discussions on Lovren’s future on hold until next summer, but will look again at the former Southampton man’s situation then.
OPINION
Obviously it would make no sense for Klopp to get rid of Lovren in January. Joel Matip has been struggling with injury problems, while Joe Gomez doesn’t quite appear to have his manager’s full trust at the moment. So Lovren is a dependable option at the heart of the defence for the German. Why would he give that up in the middle of a season in which he’s vying for five trophies, having already won one? To sell Lovren would make even less sense when you consider his return to form recently. The Croatian has filled in admirably for Matip of late, as the statistics show. As per WhoScored.com, Lovren is averaging 1.3 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game in the Premier League this season, to go with 5.7 clearances and a pass success rate of 84.2%. Come next summer, though, with the likes of Sepp van den Berg coming through the ranks, it may well be time to give up on the veteran centre half. But until then, Liverpool might as well keep hold of him.
