With the move for Rickie Lambert looking like it’s about to be done and dusted, Liverpool have stepped up their interest in his team-mate Adam Lallana with a final bid of £25mil. It’s believed that should this bid be rejected, then the Reds will move on to alternate targets.
It didn’t take Brendan Rodgers long to express and interest in the Southampton captain. The season was still smoldering when an initial £20mil bid was submitted by the Anfield outfit, but with Saint’s boss Mauricio Pochettino jumping ship for the vacant manager’s spot at Tottenham Hotspur, there’s speculation that his former boss is prepared to rival any bid. If that’s the case, they’re going to have to act fast; it doesn’t sound like Liverpool are prepared to wait for a bidding war to start.
With Lambert expected to complete a medical as early as this weekend, Lallana could come along for the ride should Southampton take advantage of the Reds offer. With Champions League football on the horizon, Rodgers is keen to expand his squad to both cope with the increase in matches and to continue to compete at a very high level in the league. After finishing second to Manchester City in what was a massively successful Premier League season, the owners Fenway Sports Group are backing the manager in the market and big money moves for the likes of Lallana and a rumoured bid for Spanish fullback Alberto Moreno are good indicators of this.
With Southampton obliged to pay Bournemouth — who they signed the midfielder from — 25% of any transfer fee, the Saints have been holding out for more money. This latest bid is rumoured to be a take it or leave it offer with Rodgers looking to wrap up a large majority of his transfer business before the World Cup kicks off in less than three weeks.
