Lovren opens up about summer exit plan

Dejan Lovren admits he considered leaving Liverpool in the summer when Roma were keen but is happy he chose to stay and fight for his place at Anfield. Lovren looked to be on his way out in the summer when a number of clubs across Europe made enquiries about the Croatian’s services – and Liverpool seemed ready to sell him for the right price.
Roma tried to negotiate a loan deal, but that wasn’t to Liverpool’s liking, and reported interest from AC Milan failed to develop into anything more concrete.
So Lovren told Reds boss Jurgen Klopp he was ready to stay – if needed – although he began the campaign as the manager’s fourth-choice centre-back.
The ex-Southampton defender’s experience could be crucial this season as Liverpool attempt to end a 30-year title drought and the 30-year-old already appears to have moved ahead of Joe Gomez in the defensive pecking order.
The opportunity to move to another country has gone for now and with just less than two years left on a four-year deal he signed in August 2017, Lovren said in widely reported quotes on Saturday that he is still giving “more than 100 per cent for this club”. “Let’s see what will happen,” he said. “It was a challenge for me this summer to stay here, but I gave everything in pre-season and I fought. There are always some new challenges in front of you. It depends whether you accept them or not, but it also depends on whether you are needed in the team or not. In the end I stayed and I am quite happy.”
Lovren made just 18 appearances last season, with both Joel Matip and Gomez featuring more frequently as the partner to Virgil van Dijk.
But he did well on his only Premier League start of the season, against Leicester City earlier this month, and could be called on to face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday if Matip isn’t able to recover from a knock.