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"Dejan Lovren has moved from Southampton to Liverpool for a fee in the region of \u00A320 million.  &amp;nbsp; #454087171 / gettyimages.com  Dejan Lovren passed his medical yesterday and after signing a 'long-term contract' has become the most expensive defender in the Liverpool's history, as his &amp;pound;20 million move takes their spending to approximately &amp;pound;85 million.&amp;nbsp; The 25-year-old is Brendan Rodgers' fifth summer signing and the third player to joint the Anfield outfit from Southampton this summer. Lovren will join up with ex-Saints team Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana, as well as Liverpool's other new recruits Emre Can and Lazar Markovic. The Croatian centre-back has made no secret of his desire to join The Reds. Since his return from a disappointing World Cup with his national side he has publicly slated The Saints for lacking ambition and blocking his move. Southampton initially rejected their &amp;pound;16 million offer, but after the player told Ronald Koeman he wanted out, the clubs managed to come to an arrangement. Lovren's signing will go someway to addressing the defensive problems that arguably cost Liverpool the first Premier League title in their history last season. They will also play in the Champions League for the first time since 2009 this season, so Rodgers will want a big enough squad capable of competing on all four fronts. In his first Liverpool interview Lovren told Liverpoolfc.com: \"It's a dream come true. I'm happy and glad to be here. I'm proud and can't wait to start.I know we have millions and millions of supporters - Liverpool is more than a club. \"After I played at Anfield last season, I said to myself: 'One day I hope I'll be able to play here for Liverpool'. The fans will know from the first minute that I'm a player that will give 100 per cent on the pitch.\" Brendan Rodgers also commented after getting his man: \"This is a very important signing for us and I'm delighted it's completed so Dejan can join up with us on our US tour. \"He is a commanding and powerful presence and clearly has leadership skills, which is important; he fits the profile of player we are looking for. \"He is still relatively young, so his peak years are ahead of him and I believe he will improve and progress even further with us. I'm looking forward to him arriving and working with us as we continue our preparations for the new season.\" Southampton will now be in the market for a new defender as Lovren becomes their fifth big name departure of the summer, after Pochettino, Lambert, Shaw and Lallana. The St Mary's Stadium exodus is likely to continue too with youngster Calum Chambers close to a move to Arsenal, and the futures of Morgan Schneiderlin and Jay Rodriguez currently uncertain.Will Lovren be a good signing for Liverpool?"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2014/07/27/official-lovren-joins-liverpool-from-southampton/>