Barcelona have an issue in defence this season, and reports in Spain claim that they could plot a move for Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren to solve that problem.
The Catalan giants have conceded nine goals in their opening eight La Liga games so far this season, giving them the worst defensive record of the top eight sides in the standings.
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Coupled with injury blows suffered by Samuel Umtiti and Thomas Vermaelen over the past fortnight, it leaves coach Ernesto Valverde dangerously light in terms of quality and depth in that department.
Question marks have been raised over Gerard Pique’s poor form so far this season, while summer signing Clement Lenglet is arguably still settling in and needs more time to fully convince.
With those issues in mind, Mundo Deportivo report that Lovren has emerged as a possible target in what would certainly be a surprise move from Barcelona.
The 29-year-old boasts experience and has demonstrated defensive solidity for club and country, playing a fundamental role in Liverpool’s progress last season while guiding Croatia to the World Cup final this past summer in Russia.
That would suggest that he could be a sensible addition to the squad. However, given his defensive vulnerabilities coupled with his struggles to build from the back at times, it doesn’t seem like the type of signing that Barca should prioritise as it may not be a perfect fit.
Much will depend on whether or not the Barcelona hierarchy see him as an ideal fix or not though, while Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will surely not want to lose his defensive stalwart either given he has been crucial alongside Virgil van Dijk and will remain an important part of his plans moving forward.