Liverpool Target Lovren Hands in Transfer Request

According to reports, Liverpool centre half target Dejan Lovren is believed to have handed in an official transfer request, though the degree of Liverpool's interest in the player remains an open question. The 24-year-old Croatian defender arrived at Southampton last summer from Lyon for a fee believed to be around £8.5M and would likely fetch his current club a decent profit were they to accede to his demands.

Though the source of the reports is the often dubious Daily Mail, there is the suggestion that Lovren or his agent have leaked details of his transfer request because it was submitted on May 30th and has yet to be responded to. This follows Adam Lallana's claims that calls to the club to discuss his future went unanswered and, if true, speaks to a chaotic situation at Southampton following the departure of Mauricio Pochettino.

The departure of Pochettino and Lovren's rising stock such that he believes he could make the move to a Champions League side appear to be behind his decision to push for a move. He is believed to have held talks with the club following the season and before Pochettino's departure when he first learned of Liverpool's interest. Lovren is expected to start for Croatia when they kick off the World Cup tomorrow against Brazil.

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