Dejan Lovren’s proposed move to Roma has collapsed after Liverpool decided to pull out of talks with the Giallorossi. The two parties had initially discussed a permanent switch, with a transfer fee of around £15m mooted, but Roma wanted to convert the transfer into a loan deal, which wasn’t acceptable to the Reds.
Lovren is contracted to Liverpool till the summer of 2021 but has fallen behind Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez in the pecking order at Anfield. The Reds are also keen to develop youngsters Ki-Jana Hoever and Sepp van der Berg, which means the Croatian international may find first team opportunities restricted this season.
With Liverpool not signing any defensive reinforcements in the current window, fans may privately be happy to see Lovren stay at the club. The veteran, while perhaps not at the level of Van Dijk, is a more than capable centre back and was part of the Croatian side that reached the final of the World Cup last year before losing to France.
At times last year, Liverpool had to resort to asking midfielder Fabinho to play in the back four- a situation fans would ideally prefer not to see this season at Anfield.
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