Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has ramped it up a gear in his pursuit of Southampton and Croatia defender Dejan Lovren, by seizing the opportunity to talk with the player directly following Croatia’s exit from the World Cup.
Former Southampton boss Pochettino brought Lovren to the Saints last summer and since his end-of-season appointment at Tottenham, made no secret of his plans to keep the Croatian.
Croatia were knocked out of the World Cup on Monday on losing their group fixture against Mexico, and with the player no longer having to concentrate on international football, the Tottenham boss made his move.
Football Express News understand he made a personal telephone call to the player to bring his attentions back to club football and discuss his possible future with Spurs.
It is likely Pochettino will go to great lengths to stop the 24-year-old making tracks to Premier League rivals Liverpool, who are the club leading the race for the centre-back with a deal of £15M under discussion.
Laying his cards on the table, the Argentine boss has said he will match the Reds’ final offer and hopes his strong personal relationship with Lovren will persuade him to opt for London-life over Liverpool-life next season.