Zenit St Petersburg 'lining up £9m bid for Liverpool's Dejan Lovren'

Zenit St Petersburg are reportedly lining up a £9m bid for Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren when the transfer window reopens.

The 31-year-old's contract at Anfield expires next summer, although Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp recently talked up his importance and hinted that the club would trigger a one-year extension for the Croatian.

Despite that, the Premier League champions are understood to be willing to listen to offers for Lovren, and the Daily Mail reports that Zenit are preparing a £9m bid.

The Russian outfit are thought to view Lovren as a replacement for former Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.

However, Liverpool are expected to knock back their opening bid as they value the centre-back at closer to £15m, rejecting a £13m approach from Roma last summer.

Part of the reasoning behind Liverpool's price tag is to help fund a replacement, with Klopp expected to dip into the market for defensive reinforcements should anyone leave.

Lovren has fallen behind Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip in the pecking order, but has still made 15 appearances across all competitions this season.