Arsenal
Arsenal Jump Ahead Of Rivals In Race To Land £15m Defender
Arsenal are now in pole position ahead of rivals Tottenham and Liverpool to sign £15m-rated Southampton defender Dejan Lovren this summer, according to reports.
As we approach the opening of the summer window clubs will be intensifying their efforts in the transfer market so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, Arsenal are the new favourites for Dejan Lovren.
Image: Express
Arsenal are now in ‘pole position’ ahead of rivals Tottenham and Liverpool to sign £15m-rated Southampton defender Dejan Lovren this summer, according to reports.
Lovren enjoyed an excellent debut season in the Premier League following his move from Lyon last summer with his solid performances at the back helping Southampton to an eight-placed finish last term.
His impressive form led to some serious interest from Liverpool at the start of the summer with boss Brendan Rodgers understood to have seen an opening bid of around £12m rejected by the Saints last month.
The Merseysiders interest is believed to have prompted Lovren to submit a formal transfer request shortly before he left for the World Cup, but it’s yet to be confirmed whether Southampton chiefs have accepted it or are trying to force him to remain at the club.
New Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino – who took Lovren to St Mary’s 12 months ago – has also been linked with a swoop for the defender with the Argentinean understood to be keen on being reunited with the 24-year-old at White Hart Lane.
However, it seems the duo now face fresh competition with the Express claiming that Arsenal have now moved into ‘pole position’ to sign the Croatian international with Arsene Wenger believed to have made him one of his key defensive targets.
Centre-back wasn’t considered a priority for the Gunners this summer but with Thomas Vermaelen looking increasingly likely to leave the club, Wenger is going to need to bring in an experienced defender to compete with Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny and Lovren would be an excellent buy for the north Londoners.
Reports have suggested that it will take a bid of around £15m to persuade Southampton to cash in, and that kind of fee seems reasonable for a player of Lovren’s quality in today’s over-inflated market.
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Although the Express suggest that Arsenal are leading the race for his signature, no official approach has been made by the Gunners as yet so it’s still wide open for Liverpool and Tottenham to get a deal tied up if they want the defender badly enough.
