Serie A side ready to strike bargain deal for Liverpool stopper Lovren

Serie A outfit Roma could be lining up a bid for Liverpool’s out-of-favour defender Dejan Lovren, according to reports in Italy.

The Croatian declared himself to be one of the best defenders in the world after helping his country reach the final of the World Cup in Russia in 2018, a game they would go on to lose 4-2.

But his days at Anfield appear to be numbered, with Jurgen Klopp reducing the 30-year-old’s role to that of a back-up.

With Virgil van Dijk pencilled in automatically, Klopp has preferred to go with Joel Matip or Joe Gomez as the Dutchman’s partner in central defence.

Injuries have helped Lovren get some first-team football but he’s still only managed nine appearances in the Premier League this term.

Lovren has only one year left on his current contract so it seems the Reds are willing to let him go.

Roma could be a likely destination for two reasons.

First, they have a good relationship with Liverpool having negotiated deals to send big stars Mo Salah and Alisson Becker to Anfield.

Second, director of football Gianluca Petrachi doesn’t have a copious funds to play with – their position in next season’s Champions League is in the balance – and he’s therefore on the lookout for some cheap deals for established players.

Lovren looks to fit the bill perfectly and Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness) believe Roma could snap up the Liverpool defender for just €5million.

They add that if Liverpool are willing to deal at such a price, the Serie A side will still need to persuade Lovren to accept a contract worth a maximum of €3million a year.

His quest for regular first-team football – something that seems a long way off now at Anfield – means that all parties could see this as an ideal solution.

However, there could be a twist due to Liverpool’s reported interest in Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly.

The Senaglese centre-back, who is great friends with Reds star Sadio Mane, has been repeatedly linked with a move to Anfield and Lovren’s name has been mentioned as a makeweight deal to tempt Napoli into doing business.