Report: Zenit St. Petersburg set to sign Liverpool star for £10.9m

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The Times have claimed that Liverpool have agreed to sell defender Dejan Lovren to Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg for £10.9million, ending a six-year stay at Anfield.

Lovren, 31, joined Liverpool in 2014 from Southampton and has since clocked up 185 appearances in all competitions for the Reds. However, he has fallen down the pecking order behind Joel Matip and Joe Gomez.

Zenit wanted to secure a cut-price figure for Lovren, with the belief that he had entered the final 12 months of contract. However, it became apparent that Lovren had a year’s extension – keeping him at Anfield until 2022.

Liverpool are now expected to enter the transfer market for a central defender with Lovren moving to Russia. Ben White, who has starred for Leeds United during 2019-20, is a target but Brighton are keen to keep him.

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Given that Lovren was on the fringes at Liverpool and is now well into his thirties, rescuing an eight-figure fee for the 2018 World Cup finalist is sensational business. That gives Liverpool a bit more cash to spend this summer.

Whether White could be signed remains to be seen. The Brighton defender is clearly a target for not just Liverpool, but Leeds as well. Brighton are likely to fight to keep the ball-playing ace, too.