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What's the story?
LaLiga giants Barcelona are reportedly set to make a move for Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren in January next year.
In case you didn't know...
Barcelona is currently undergoing an injury crisis in their defence as Samuel Umtiti and Thomas Vermaelen are both recovering from their respective injuries.
Umtiti is not expected to return until at least the beginning of the new year while Vermaelen is out for six weeks after suffering a thigh strain on his international duty with Belgium.
This leaves Gerard Pique and summer signing Clement Lenglet as the only fit centre-backs in the team.
The heart of the matter
Journalist Francesc Aguilar reports in the Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo that Barcelona are now ready to make a move for yet another Liverpool player after - Dejan Lovren - during the winter transfer window, after bringing in Liverpool star Phillipe Coutinho to Camp Nou in January this year.
The Brazilian ace moved to the LaLiga giants last January in a £142million deal.
After being bogged down by injury, Lovren had only recently played his first Premier League game against champions Manchester City.
At Anfield, the defender continues to be on the decline in the pecking order behind Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez.
Lovren left Southampton to move to Liverpool four years ago. He has made 154 appearances for the club in all competitions.
The Liverpool man also played a key role in the Croatia team that secured a second place finish at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Rumor rating: 3/10
While Barcelona are in need of some reinforcements at the back, Liverpool themselves wouldn't want to skim down on their defensive options. Moreover, at least one of the two currently injured Barcelona centre-backs should be returning to full action by the time the transfer window opens again.
What's next?
Lovren joins a long list of defenders currently being linked to the Spanish giants in their effort to mend their present injury crisis. In the meantime, the club will hope that Umtiti will recover soon as they are set to head towards an array of tough fixtures.
