Liverpool FC have confirmed the departure of Dejan Lovren to Zenit Saint Petersburg, thereby ending the Croatian’s six-year stay at the Merseyside club. The Reds are set to earn £11 million following the 31-year old’s sale to the Russian side. Lovren signs for Zenit Saint Petersburg on a three-year contract following his departure from Anfield.
Speculation in recent weeks had indicated Zenit’s desire of signing Lovren this summer from the Premier League champions. However, the Russian side had been believed to have tabled an opening bid worth £9 million for the center-back. Liverpool FC held out for more and were successful in negotiating an £11 million offer for the Croatian international.
Lovren had fallen down massively in the pecking order at Anfield, with Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, and Virgil van Dijk all firmly ahead of the 31-year old. The former Southampton man had made just ten appearances for the Reds this season in the Premier League.
The Croatian international signed for the Reds back in 2014 for a £20 million fee, which was at that time the highest the Merseyside Reds had paid for a defender. Lovren was expected to be an ideal successor to the newly departed Daniel Agger upon his arrival at the club.
However, the player’s journey at Liverpool FC has forever been marred with inconsistency in his form on the pitch. A scorer of last-minute goals for his side on several occasions, Lovren has often made many error-prone performances for the Reds.
Despite his on-field showings not being up to the standards set by the Liverpool FC supporters, Lovren made his reputation known as a very influential presence in the club’s dressing room. The 31-year old possessed a wonderful self-belief and bounced back from his poor displays on the pitch.
In a post on Twitter, Liverpool FC expressed their heartfelt gratitude shown by the Croatian during his six-year service to the club. Lovren’s now-former teammate James Milner also took to Twitter to congratulate the 31-year old on his move to Russia.
Always committed. Always passionate.
Thank you, Dejan ❤️ #YNWA pic.twitter.com/gefEFKm1RY
— Liverpool FC (Premier League Champions 🏆) (@LFC) July 27, 2020
Good luck @Dejan06Lovren, we are gonna miss you on and off the field.
Our corner of the dressing room will be less fun now – but I won’t miss not being able to get out of my car because of your horrendous parking 😜#goodluckbrate#seeyouathoteljoel#musthavehadwonkymirrors pic.twitter.com/KGcJNOjygt— James Milner (@JamesMilner) July 27, 2020
During the course of stay at Liverpool FC, Lovren made 185 appearances in the Reds’ shirt, scoring eight goals. He leaves for Russia having won the Premier League, Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and UEFA Super Cup with the Reds.
