Dejan Lovren’s proposed move to Bayer Leverkusen is in doubt owing to the player’s financial demands, according to Bild (via the Mirror).
Bild had reported that Leverkusen were keen on a season-long loan move for the out-of-favour Croatian international, whose experience they hoped would bolster their backline.
However, the German publication now claim that Lovren’s insistence on maintaining his £8.1million-a-year salary could scupper the deal.
He’s said to be ‘unlikely’ to change his demands, and that might prompt the Werkself to look elsewhere.
Lovren has already seen a switch to Roma fall through after Liverpool pulled the plug on negotiations.
There’s still plenty of time left before the European transfer window shuts on September 2, but it’s proving far from straightforward for Lovren to seal the departure he may be seeking given his limited prospects at Anfield.
Perhaps his refusal to take a pay-cut indicates that any desire to leave is not all-that-strong.
Liverpool, for their part, might urge the defender to compromise so an agreement can be struck. The club are thought to be keen on fast-tracking Sepp van den Berg, the young centre-half recruited over the summer, into the first-team set-up.