The latest news surrounding Dejan Lovren's potential departure from Liverpool has suggested that the club will be looking for about £15million for the Croatian. 

According to James Pearce (via @AnfieldEdition), Liverpool now have an official asking price for any clubs that might come knocking for the Croatia international.

The latest speculation surrounding an exit for the centre-back hints at Lazio making a swoop as they hunt for an experienced defender, according to La Lazio Siamo Noi. Lovren has made just nine Premier League appearances this season and didn't feature in the squad for the first six matches of the campaign. As the Europe champions constantly look to expand their side, deadwood players are about to be shipped out of Anfield, and Lovren should be among them.

An ageing and average defender certainly isn't an asset the potential Premier League winners want on their books. For years, Lovren had been part of a bad bunch as Liverpool struggled with a leaky back four.

The 6 foot 1 man survived Jurgen Klopp's overhaul of players, including Mamadou Sakho – but in fact, the Frenchman outperformed Lovren at Liverpool. In the 2015/16 season, Sakho averaged a better pass percentage (87.9%) than Lovren (84.6%) and won more aerial duels per game (3.4) to his counterpart's 3.3. Sakho also tallied more interceptions per match (1.7) than Lovren (1.5) and averaged one block per 90 minutes to the Croatian's 0.6 (via WhoScored).

At the end of the 2018/19 campaign, Lovren branded himself as 'one of the best defenders in the world' after Liverpool reached the Champions League final and Croatia were toppled by France at the 2018 World Cup. The sheer arrogance of such a claim from a man who has never surpassed a market value of £18million (Transfermarkt) is shocking.

If you play behind Luka Modric or a clinical trio like Liverpool's, you're bound to look like an elite player. However, Lovren simply isn't world class and will never get close. Brendan Rodgers bought the Croatian from Southampton back in 2014 in hopes to solidify Liverpool's back four but Lovren has simply been a stop-gap.

Many fans agree the club has outgrown Lovren, with some claiming he 'deserves the Sakho treatment' after the Frenchman was ousted from the team before his move to Crystal Palace in 2017.

Lovren is one of the only remaining deadwood Rodgers players still at the club and this summer should be his final one on Merseyside. The Reds should cut their losses before it becomes impossible to get any sort of sum for him.

What's your take, Reds? Will Dejan Lovren be leaving Anfield this summer?