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Southampton manager Ronald Koeman says the club are now looking to sell record signing Dani Osvaldo.

Italian striker Osvaldo, 28, arrived at Southampton in August 2013 for £15m, but was sent out on loan in January after a training-ground fight.

The former Roma forward failed to arrive back for pre-season training and has since been given leave of absence.

quote The board knows we need new players. There is no need to hurry. We have a good squad but we would like better players to be competitive Ronald Koeman

"It was a difficult situation for him to come back to," Saints manager Ronald Koeman told BBC Radio Solent.

Osvaldo scored three times in 13 games for Saints but had a tumultuous time in English football.

In January, he was suspended for three matches and fined £40,000 after being found guilty of violent conduct during an incident at Newcastle. external-link

Later that month he was involved in an altercation with Saints defender Jose Fonte, which resulted in him being sent to Juventus on loan. He eventually missed out on Italy's World Cup squad.

His failure to arrive back for pre-season resulted in the Southampton board deciding to look to sell the forward.

"He was too late," added Koeman. "The decision of the board was to allow him not to come back. We have to look for opportunities for him to play in a different team."

Meanwhile, Koeman says no bids have yet been accepted for defender Dejan Lovren, who is wanted by Liverpool.

However, the former Feyenoord boss has confirmed the Croatian centre-back has asked to leave Southampton.

"There are a lot of rumours," said Koeman. "He said he would like to go, we will wait for the bid, but if there is no bid we will continue. I know the situation."

Koeman has also asked fans to be patient as the club look to sign new players, after seeing defender Luke Shaw, midfielder Adam Lallana and striker Rickie Lambert all leave the club.

"We are working on it," he said. "Our job is to be prepared if someone leaves the club.

"The board knows we need new players. There is no need to hurry. We have a good squad but we would like better players to be competitive."