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Koeman and Lovren on collision course at Southampton

(Reuters) - New Southampton manager Ronald Koeman faces a showdown with unhappy Croatian defender Dejan Lovren as he looks to rebuild the English Premier League side following the close-season departure of three of his best players.

"Dejan is a Southampton player, he has a contract and he must return," Koeman told reporters on Friday.

Media reports earlier this month said Lovren, signed from Olympique Lyon for eight million pounds in June 2013, threatened not to turn up for the new season after the club rejected a 20 million pounds bid from Liverpool.

"This is a great club and we like to have all the players in the squad happy but he has to come back by Sunday," said Koeman. "My feeling is he will be here at the start of the season."

The former Dutch international hit out at Lovren, who is still on holiday after representing his country at the World Cup in Brazil, for speaking out in the media.

Koeman said he was impressed with the family atmosphere that existed at the club despite the recent sale of Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana to Liverpool and Luke Shaw to Manchester United for a combined 70 million pounds.

"The players have to keep their ambition. When the season starts we will have a very good team here," he said.

Koeman quit Feyenoord at the end of last season to replace Mauricio Pochettino after the Argentine left for Tottenham Hotspur.

The Dutchman said he hoped a deal to sign Italian striker Graziano Pelle from Feyenoord would be completed soon.



(Reporting by Tony Goodson, editing by Tony Jimenez)