West Ham United reportedly want Dejan Lovren back in the Premier League but Zenit St Petersburg have rubbished the rumours about an imminent departure from the Russian giants, via Sports RU.
Earlier this month, with the Russia – Ukraine conflict escalating, FIFA released a statement, announcing that players contracted to teams in the two countries would be allowed to terminate their deals and join new clubs on free transfers.
So far, a number of players have taken advantage of such an opportunity. Junior Alonso and former West Brom, PSG and Sevilla midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak left Krasnodar in mid-May.
Junior Moraes swapped Shakhtar Donetsk for Corinthians.
Brazilian duo Pedrinho and Tete, meanwhile, have been linked with a handful of Premier League clubs.
But what about Lovren?
The 32-year-old former Liverpool defender who’s won three trophies since joining Zenit St Petersburg in 2020.
Back to the Premier League?
Tuttomercatoweb claimed over the weekend that Lovren could terminate his deal at the Gazprom Arena ahead of a potential return to English soil.
West Ham have reportedly offered the Croatia international a two-year deal at the London Stadium.
But, when asked about Lovren’s future, Zenit CEO Alexander Medvedev wasted little time in rubbishing claims that the 2018 World Cup finalist is heading for an imminent exit.
“Nonsense,” Medvedev.
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So while Lovren might not be set for an immediate return to the UK scene, he is just one of a number of central defenders reportedly on West Ham’s radar.
Nottingham Forest colossus Joe Worrall remains a target. So to Sheffield United’s John Egan.
The Hammers could make a fresh approach for Marseille’s Duje Caleta-Car, a team-mate of Lovren in the Croatian national team.
The Londoners recently failed with a loan bid for the £15 million-rated Caleta Car, who missed out on a move to Liverpool in 2021 (Daily Mail).
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