According to media sources Dejan Lovren is going to force things to a head at St Mary's by refusing to return to pre season training when he returns from his extended break after the World Cup.

Dejan Lovren is not due to return to pre season training for another week or two but according to the Daily Echo sources close to the player are claiming that he is going to try and force a transfer through by not returning to the club for pre season training.

The Echo also reveals that Liverpool are the club who are doing all the running for the Croatian and at least two bids have been turned down already this summer, they also allege that there is a clause in his contract that says he can leave if another club offer £20 million pounds and that Liverpool are believed to have matched that.

So far Saints have stood firm, clearly the player himself has been stirred up by agents or those close to several clubs who are after his services, in addition to Liverpool, Spurs are also believed to be interested, Saints of course are pointing to his deal signed a year ago when he arrived for £8.5 million and will ask him to honour the contract.

This being the case then there are only three real questions to be answered,

1. Does the sell clause exist

2. Will the Club make a stand

3. Will Lovren make a stand.

The first we will probably find out very soon and then it will be a question of who is the strongest, from the players point of view he will be fined and continue to be fined should he not fulfill the contract, however the downside of this is that relations between club and player will deteriorate very fast leading to a point were it has to be asked whether it is wise to keep him.

From the club's viewpoint with so much money already in the coffers for sales they are not in a position where they have to sell, they can now afford to stand firm and if neccessary force the player to rot in the reserves metaphorically speaking, however is that in the best interests of the club long term.

Supporters will of course be demanding tough action from Saints and will want to see it and from that viepoint I can understand why fans want to see a statement of intent from the club.

Sources close to Lovren are saying he wants out because he feels that the "project" he was sold a year ago has changed under the new board, this is a smokescreen, there may be a new board but there are not new owners nor are there new financial restrictions, if Lovren believed that Saints project was to achieve Champions League football then he should question who told him this was the project and why that person was telling him something to lure him to the club that was clearly not in place financially.

This being the case perhaps Lovren would do well to first hear what the new manager has to say about things before he makes up his mind whether the focus has changed at St Mary's or not, from many perspectives the focus has changed for the better, there is a more highly qualified manager in place with the experience and contacts to take us on to the next level, ie domestic cup win combined with Europa League qualification, something that the previous manager did not want to achieve preferring to talk about jumping two or three levels as if this could be achieved overnight.

Also thee is a lot more money available to be spent this summer in improving the squad, if used properly we have a better chance of taking a step forward that we would have had keeping exactly the same squad and only spending a minimal amount.

There are those Saints supporters who will feel that Saints are no longer focussing on Champions League qualification, the point they are missing is that we never truly where anyway, it was idle boasts from certain people who did not have the resources or backing to achieve what they were suggesting could be obtained.

Perhaps the players who want away should reflect on this, the truth is despite fine words, in footballing terms it would be almost impossible for Saints or any club of our level to break into the top four, at least not overnight, Spurs and Everton have shown the evidence of this, Lovren may conveniently use this as an excuse, but the reality is that if he truly believed Saints would get into the Champions League during his contract then he is very naive and knows nothing about the Premier League, the actual chances were slim to say the least.

In the medium term it will be very hard to keep Lovren if he does not return from training, ideally Saints would force him to honour his contract, but is he worth £20 million ? I would say not, on his form in the first half of the season perhaps, but not on the second half, there are players of his level available much cheaper, the key to Saints moving forward will be to maximise transfer revenue whilst at the same time utilising that revenue to the best effect, if Saints hadnt lost two key players already and Lovren was the only want away I would suggest that getting £20 million for him and say buying Celtic's Virgil Van Dijk for around half that amount would be considered very good business, however this is in a very difficult situation.

In some respects Saints are victims of their own success, however this does not make us a selling club, in the past we were never a selling club but a club that was known as a developing club and that is the way forward for every club in the Premier bar those that have unlimited funds and far bigger commercial revenues.

Photo: Action Images

patred added 11:20 - Jul 3 players who are offered sell on clauses in thier contracts have obviously been sold the idea we are a selling club.
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law101 added 11:31 - Jul 3 Tough decision, however if he wants to go I don't believe there is any stopping him. 20 million would again represent good business but add this sale to the pending Schneiderlin deal and we will have ripped out the core of our team. In this case I would fear we are in for a very tough season given the quality and settling in period for new players, and the impact player sales will have on morale, team spirit and general optimism. It’s a strange situation to find ourselves in as for the last 4 years each season has started with increased expectations and the club focused on adding players to a stable and talented squad that had risen through the leagues.

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JDawg added 11:33 - Jul 3 £20 million for Lovren? He's good but not that good, Saints should bite the hands off who ever is offering that regardless of whether he is rocking the boat or how many other players have left. We could buy two top quality CBs with that including their wages.
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Jesus_02 added 11:40 - Jul 3 There are a few things here that I refuse to agree with. E.g. “in the past we were never a selling club” But the real thing that is winding me up about this opinion piece is the level of condescension. Of Lovren a professional Footballer who has devoted his life to the game “the reality is that if he truly believed Saints would get into the Champions League during his contract then he is very naive and knows nothing about the Premier League” Of the fans that dared to believe that saints could be anything other than also-rans "There are those Saints supporters who will feel that Saints are no longer focusing on Champions League qualification, the point they are missing is that we never truly where anyway, it was idle boasts from certain people who did not have the resources or backing to achieve what they were suggesting could be obtained" Hindsight is 20-20 but if you can’t have success without ambition and you cant have ambition without belief. This acceptance of mediocrity, particularly from a “fan site” is possibly the most divisive form of negativity.

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SanMarco added 11:45 - Jul 3 Superb article. The NC worshippers should read it carefully before commenting as it nails the causes of all the problems we now have excellently. NC was a bullsh**ter who probably didn't con any incoming players or MoPo but he didn't half provide them with their exit narratives. I am very disappointed at what is going on but the one thing I keep reminding myself is that if NC had have been allowed to continue he may well have taken us down the Pompey/Leeds route. He was excellent for the club while his bs didn't matter and was a good tonic for the troops but he was fast becoming a dreadful liability - and now look at how all his nonsense is being used by those who do not have the club's interests at heart. None of us had heard of MoPo (and NC had not even met him) when all the 5 year plan/Champions League blarney started - yet MoPo was quoting it as he went out of the door. We must believe in reality - not fairy tales from bankers who enrich themselves with other people's money - would NC have returned his millions in salary after he bankrupted us? No I don't think so either.

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StEdmund added 11:47 - Jul 3 Is it such a bad thing for the club to be seen as a stepping stone to greater things by players? We sign good players,they move on for more money, the club gets giant transfer fees. Surely, most people look for promotion and more money in their lives. Besides, look on the bright side, perhaps more of our academy will fill the spaces on the bench as well as getting new players!

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Newdawn2014 added 11:51 - Jul 3 Why don't we all calm down and wait. If Lovren returns, no issue - if he doesn't I am sure the club will be aware of this possibility and already be looking for alternatives. I am going to wait and see what the team looks like when we play Liverpool on opening match of the season. I support my team, whoever is in it, if I were a fairweather fan I would have given up years ago. COYR

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thegeneral added 12:15 - Jul 3 Can't blame him for wanting to go, the heart has been ripped out of the team with too many departures and more to come. Its laughable that people seem to blindly rely on the academy to just produce a replacement or buy in better or similar for half the price. It takes time for a team to bond on and off the field and as soon as it starts to come together at Southampton they're off for 'dream moves'. We were never going to be a champions league club any time soon but the ambition was set in place with an excellent plan that was working very well, after a great finish last season we were ready to add 2 or 3 players to break us into the top 6 and move on from there. We now need replacements for AL, RL, LS, DL, MS as well as needing a centre back, goalkeeper and a striker and we have JRod out though i suspect if he quickly returns to form he will go in January. So we need a minimum of 8 players to hit the ground running though i strongly suspect we will be playing Hooiveld and Gallagher in the starting eleven first day of the season, which ever way you look at it thats a step backwards. As for the money there simply isn't many world class centre backs about, the game has changed its no longer a case of sticking the big bloke at the back to head it clear, a CB has to be a good footballer, win the ball and make a precision pass. Goalkeepers are looking so good in the world cup because the centre backs are sh*t.

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brady100 added 12:27 - Jul 3 While we all knew champions league football was beyond us, it gave both supporters and the club a purpose and an ambition. I can’t help but be disillusioned with football, this season has shown us its a glass celling for a club our size and that success ultimately will only set us back. Anyone who realistically believes us to be moving forward from last season is just not being honest. Now I'm not saying these changes could have been avoided but that’s the reality, no matter how much we have to spend in the transfer market. We must be content with selling all our top performers and rebuilding to be 'also ran’s in the PL.

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tiptop added 12:34 - Jul 3 agree with law101 and Jesus 02 to a degree. For Saints, having a massive budget is one thing. Acquiring decent players that fit the culture and 'work' is another. Successfully replacing 2 of maybe 4 leaving players will be good work considering bedding in, league adaption etc. Undoubtedly our teams best players were SRL, Lallana, Spider, Shaw and Lovren. If it conspires they have all departed by Aug the board will be furious. But There is an underlying question re NC 's vision/project or what ever you want to call it. He did talk up our aims. His view was not why can't we win the Prem but how can we win. This might have been to a degree the stuff of dreams but he knew we had the players and potential to surprise the league and with luck and the right signings break in to the top 4. Maybe that element of suprise has gone, the focus has altered with the new board. They talk about getting into Europe. NC talked CL. Even if we didn't hit it you knew that the momentum and belief built up over the previous seasons added fuel to the dream and it worked. For him getting into the Europa league was a disappointment. The CL dream has ended and it seems those players are jumping ship because they sense it.

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Pecky3 added 13:25 - Jul 3 It is time for Saints Board to make a stand! We cannot go on losing players like this! Contracts are not worth it if players think they can break them at will! To lose 3 top players is bad enough. I suggest Lovren is told he will not be sold and is in breach of contract! This would send a message to the remaining players and other clubs to "backoff" and find some other club to decimate!

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1970 added 13:34 - Jul 3 I think your being a bit of a defeatist Nick, for a start why are all are players going, 3 to one club currently competing in the champions league,its because with the youth set up we have all you need to do is keep them and add a little,so in this case if we kept all our players including Osvaldo and spent 40 mill we would qualify for champions league it was obvious to all, that's why we've been pillaged,the truth is the owners don't even like football and wonder what the fuss about,were in the prem so who cares type attitude.

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montecristo added 13:46 - Jul 3 I am completely in the Cortese camp when it comes to business management and approach.turning Saints into a top four club required someone with his vision and single mindedness, because otherwise if you are seen as weak, cannon fodder, other bigger clubs come calling and the wheels begin to fall off. That is exactly what is happening at the moment, and I blame the Board entirely. Liebherr for appointing a couple of greenhorns to executive responsibility, and Liebherr herself for lack of judgement with regard to the club s future. Southampton were on a path to challenge for champions league based on retention of players and further investment in more players. Liebherr would not acquiesce to that, sought to make the club self sustaining too early. The result was pandemonium and ultimate disaster. Serious damage has been done to the club s credibility, and I am not even sure that Koeman s presence will be enough to persuade top players to come to the club.They have signed no one as yet, and there seems to be little movement on that front that adds up to anything to get excited about. There have been already too many key departures, with two more being threatened , if they leave Saints demise will be complete and they will be favorites for relegation. I simply cannot come to terms with what Liebherr has done its monstrous frankly.

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spitfiresaint added 13:55 - Jul 3 It would be a bit difficult holding Lovren to his contract when Pochettino, Lambert, Shaw and Lallana were all permitted to break theirs. That would be my argument if I was Lovren.
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BoondockSaint added 14:08 - Jul 3 If Lovern though he was going to be playing Champions League in a year or two at Saints, he must have googled inaccurately and confused the stadium and attendence figures of the New Orleans Saints with us! There is very little chance of anyone breaking the top four without a salary cap. Right now if a team does break into that club-the four just use their money muscle to take the new teams players, and by doing so, strengthen themselves and drive the new team back down in the standings-and what you get is the leagues in Scotland and Spain-everyone is a feeder. The Champions League is just another competition for billionaires to compete with each other with their toys/money, Formula One, yacht racing, etc. But sooner or later even they will get fed up paying more and more and more money to prima donna players. And then they will install a cap. Let's just hope it happens soon!

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BaselSaint added 14:51 - Jul 3 I now understand contracts have nothing to do with commitment to a club as a player but only for financial protection for the club. Once players have the kind of profile and exposure the world cup gives them they want the money and the kudos to match. I have to admit the effect of the world cup for a good Saints team which had such potential has been a disaster. I hope Koeman makes a positive impact quickly with both leadership and shrewd use of the transfer kitty; this is I guess is our main hope now. Further to this I think the club should consider measures to avoid the annual haemorrhaging of our best players. I just don't know how though.

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Bulgarian added 14:52 - Jul 3 I've been reading carefully all articles and comments and feel I have to raise the question: It's perfectly understandable to feel disappointed and to blame the Board. But please, am I the only one to have full confidence in out Board? What did KLiebherr do wrong? This Board is planning long term. They did not want to sell anyone (maybe with the exception of RL). Koeman, the new coaches, Staplewood etc. etc. - this is significant investment many clubs of our size simply cannot afford. AL, DL, MS want/wanted to leave because they think they are ready for CL and feel their chance has come - once in a lifetime. Should the Board force anybody to work for the Club when the person's mind is clearly away from the Saints? This Board is here for the long term, it plans everything carefully and extremely intelligently. Our problem is that we can't grasp the extent to which the Club can develop in the next years. It won't happen overnight though. UTS

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COYS1947 added 15:10 - Jul 3 One of the reasons for Saints relative success last year was the team spirit and the team playing for each other. Much of the spirit was forged during the league one years, back to back promotions and the loyalty of players like SRL, AL, MS, LS etc. Unfortunately the want aways do not always recognise this and their future performances may not be as good as when part of that team. Against this, the much of the team spirit was probably engendered by MoPo and could be why so many want to leave now he has gone. Difficult situation now for Saints as losing so many of the team may take some time to re-establish the spirit. We can only wait and hope things get better in the transfer window. COYS

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SanMarco added 15:48 - Jul 3 Two questions for montecristo: 1. I am fascinated by the idea of a 'Cortese camp'. Where are your tents pitched and what is the positive intention of the camp towards SFC? All I ever hear is carping at the board. 2. You say "Southampton were on a path to challenge for champions league based on retention of players and further investment in more players." So players of the standard of the best at Man City etc were poised to join us on salaries they were happy with? The sides who came (in most cases many points) above us last season were going to stand aside and let us beat them? Even with a plan B and 50 million to spend MoPo would not have got us much higher - that's why he left (after shafting the board with ridiculous public demands that no sane business people would have considered let alone accepted). If we saw in tomorrow's paper that Messi might be signing for us we would know it was a misprint or April 1st. Was NC really going to create conditions where we wouldn't think that? He might have bankrupted us and then walked off laughing with his millions - that's what bankers do in real life.

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BoondockSaint added 15:53 - Jul 3 COYS1947-Agree that I thought they had a team spirit, but that was engendered by Nigel, if anyone-and they didn't leave when he left. When a player says "I want Champions League football." he means "I want Champions League money." Can't really blame them for making as much as they can when they can as careers can be short.
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BilbaoSaint added 16:06 - Jul 3 Good article.... However it begs the following question. If Champions League is so important to him, why did he leave Olympique Lyon? A side who were in the Champions League preliminary round this time last year.
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hawthorn1 added 10:01 - Jul 4 BoondockSaint.I really get annoyed when I hear people saying,footballers have to earn what they can,as it is a short career for some of them. Probably in your lifetime,you will earn £1 million,a good player in the premier league will have earned 40 times that much by the the age of 30,and we talk as if after they retire from football they are on some sort of scrapheap, why can't they do something else? By making these sort of comments,you are endorsing them to become even more greedy than they already are,if that is possible.

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ExiledSupporter added 11:09 - Jul 4 Some brief comments upon some of the allegations/explanations/excuses mentioned above * NC's ambition to enter the CL was simply marketing tripe which as we all know is concerned with positioning a product in the most favourable light and making extortionate prices seem like good value for money * our record of bringing in good players who live up to our expectations has recently been particularly inconsistent/erratic...with the bad being amongst the most expensive. The only person still around who had any responsibility for that is Les Reed. Without Koeman's input I dread to think what muppets we would otherwise be buying; unfortunately this somewhat undermines the otherwise sensible equation of 'sell them for significantly more than they are worth to us re-investing the money on good quality replacements with potential for further capital growth'. * if Lovren has a contract release clause at £20m then we have been far too cautious; if this figure is correct then there would seem to be little choice but to let him go (and be pleased that we can get two for the price of one (eg. Caulker and Van Dijk?) * if none of the above is true about Lovren's contract and he still refuses to return then why should he get any pay whatsoever * we have to get tough with these players and Lovren has to be the case where we refuse to be bullied by existing players, other clubs or ex-employees. Most of all we need to keep all of the other first team players, especially MS, JR and JC * the only genuine complaint that we could have against the Board is perhaps being a little slow to recognise that MP had intended to leave since January, beyond that I think their decision making has been excellent...rational, realistic and determined in highly unpropitious circumstances that were none of their making. Cortese had to go everything else flows from this decision

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BoondockSaint added 22:03 - Jul 4 Hi Hawthorn1- I am certainly not endorsing them as much as being aware of human nature. If a company in the next town (Not Skateville of course!) offered you 10 times the pay as you are making now for the same job it would be hard to turn down-never mind having to explain to your family! Are athletes greedy prima donnas? Of course! A salary cap would help, but even with that, look at the latest Lebron circus! Thanks for reminding me to get down to the Lottery shop-it's the only way I'm making a million!

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