Tottenham set to gatecrash Liverpool's £15m deal for Southampton star Dejan Lovren

Posted Monday, June 23, 2014 by Dailystar.co.uk

TOTTENHAM are set to hijack Liverpool's pursuit of Southampton defender Dejan Lovren.

WE LOV YOU: Liverpool and Tottenham are fighting for the signature of the Croatia defender

New Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino wants the £15m-rated defender to follow him to White Hart Lane, after the Croatian starred for the Argentine on the south coast last season.

Lovren only joined Saints from Lyon last summer in a deal believed to be worth around £8.5m.

The 24-year-old impressed at the back alongside Jose Fonte, as Southampton surprised many by cruising to a top-ten finish.

That excellent run saw Pochettino switch to Spurs to replace Tim Sherwood, and he is now keen to bring in Lovren to provide competition for Michael Dawson, Vlad Chiriches, Younes Kaboul and Jan Vertonghen.

Lovren handed in a transfer request earlier this summer in order to force through his departure from St Mary's.

Liverpool looked to have been in pole position to land the Croatian, with Brendan Rodgers keen on making him the Reds' third addition from Southampton this summer.

The Kop boss has already secured a deal for striker Rickie Lambert and wants his England team-mate Adam Lallana too.

But they now face a fight with the north Londoners to complete a deal.

Lovren made 31 appearances and scored two goals for Saints last season.