Dejan Lovren to AC Milan? Liverpool’s transfer chief looks set to ‘flip’ another player
Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren will only be allowed to leave the club if an offer of at least £25m comes in, according to reports.
The Croatian has slipped down the pecking order at Anfield following the signing of Virgil van Dijk and improved performances of Joel Matip and Joe Gomez, and has been linked with a move to AC Milan.
Dejan Lovren to leave Liverpool for AC Milan? Five things to know…
- AC Milan are interested in signing Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren, according to Sky Italia.
- The Italian club are looking to rebuild following the departure of Gennaro Gattuso.
- Dejan Lovren made just 18 appearances for Liverpool last season, watching from the bench as they won the Champions League.
- According to the Times, Liverpool will not let Lovren to leave for less than £25m.
- The fee would see Liverpool make a minor profit after Lovren joined from Southampton for £20m in 2014.
Despite playing a role in Liverpool’s growth under Jurgen Klopp, Lovren remains a beacon for criticism among his own fans and the wider football public. Over the past few seasons, Lovren has built a small reputation for speaking too soon, making bold claims before watching them unravel before his eyes. Most notably, just before the 2018 World Cup final, Lovren stated his beliefs that he is one of the best defenders in the world.
Should Liverpool get their desired £25m fee for the 29-year-old, it would see the club make a small profit on a fringe player. Lovren initially signed for the Reds from Southampton in 2014 for £20m, and has made 170 appearances since, appearing in a Europa League and Champions League final. This was followed up by Croatia losing 4-1 to France in the final, with Lovren having a night to forget.
This wouldn’t be the first time Liverpool have been able to make a profit on a player, with the club becoming economically smart since Fenway Sports group took over in 2010.
The most notable among those players ‘flipped’ for a profit by FSG and Michael Edwards – Liverpool’s sporting director since November 2016 – is Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian playmaker joined from Inter Milan in 2013 as a promising young star for just £8.5m. Five years later, he became the world’s second-most expensive player following his sale to Barcelona for £142m, a profit of £133.5m.
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But Coutinho is far from alone. Luis Suarez is another big star to have been sold for a profit by Liverpool, after being signed from Ajax for £22.7m – money raised by the sale of Fernando Torres in 2011 and split between the Uruguayan and Andy Carroll.
Suarez would spend just three years at Liverpool, terrorising Premier League defences, before making the move to Barcelona for £75m – a profit of £52.3m. Liverpool have also managed to turn eight-figure profits on four British stars since FSG took over. At the top of the list is Jordon Ibe, who joined Liverpool’s academy in 2012 before eventually being sold to Bournemouth for £15m four years later.
The Reds also managed to make £12.4m profit on Danny Ward when they sold the goalkeeper to Leicester in 2018, having bought him for just £100,000 from Wrexham in 2012. Another 2018 departure, Danny Ings brought in £12m profit in signing for Southampton, with Liverpool having to pay Burnley £8m in compensation for his signing in 2015 – with the striker out of contract but under 24.
And despite making just 27 first-team appearances for the Reds, Dominic Solanke was sold for a profit when Bournemouth spent £19m for his services. Though Solanke officially joined Liverpool on a free transfer, the Reds did have to pay compensation to Chelsea – as they did to Burnley with Ings. And although the fee was undisclosed, it is not believed to have been more than £10m.
