The Reds have told the Southampton captain that he remains their top summer target and will bide their time until after the tournament before making a move for the 26-year-old

By Greg Stobart

Liverpool are ready to wait until after the World Cup to seal a €30 million [£25m] deal for Adam Lallana and want the Southampton star to force through a move to Anfield, Goal understands.

While Liverpool will not improve their take-it-or-leave-it bid, they have assured Lallana privately that he remains their top target for the summer and they are prepared to wait until after the World Cup to land their man.

Lallana, 26, is desperate to join Liverpool and is expected to submit a formal transfer request when he returns from Brazil, having already told Southampton of his desire to move to Merseyside and play in the Champions League.

He may even refuse to take part in the Saints’ pre-season matches if the south coast club refuse to strike a deal with Liverpool, who have made two formal bids, having had their initial £20m offer rejected last month.

But his future will almost certainly now be decided after the World Cup, with Lallana focused on the tournament as England continue their preparations at a training camp in Miami.

Mauricio Pochettino was keen on reuniting with Lallana at Tottenham but the Londoners had no interest in an expensive bidding war, despite the excellent relationship between the pair from their time together at St Mary’s.

Southampton, who have already sold Rickie Lambert to Liverpool, released a statement on Monday confirming they have received ‘multiple offers’ for some of their players but want to wait until they have appointed a new manager before conducting any further transfer business.

The Saints are in a strong negotiating position, with four years remaining on Lallana’s contract, although a 25 per cent sell-on fee is due to Bournemouth, the playmaker’s former club, which has complicated the transfer.

Lallana scored nine goals and provided eight assists for Southampton in the Premier League this season and was rewarded with a place in Roy Hodgson’s 23-man squad for the World Cup in Brazil.

The former Anfield winger thinks Brendan Rodgers has made a shrewd signing in the former Southampton forward, who returned to his boyhood club on Monday

Steve McManaman believes Liverpool have got a bargain in signing Rickie Lambert from Southampton.

The 32-year-old completed a dream move back to Merseyside on Monday, having been released from Anfield as a youngster.

After five prolific years at the Saints, where Lambert’s goals helped the south-coast club climb from League One to the top half of the Premier League, the England international joined his boyhood club for a reported €5.5 million [£4.5m] fee.

And former Liverpool winger McManaman thinks Brendan Rodgers has sealed a fine piece of business in capturing the striker.

“If he can replicate those kind of [goalscoring] figures for Liverpool I think they have got themselves a really shrewd bargain,” he told The Mirror.

“As we know, football isn’t about four-year signings or five-year signings, it’s about next year.

“It’s year to year unfortunately. It’s a wonderful opportunity for Rickie.”

The transfer represents a significant profit on the €1.2m [£1m] the Saints paid Bristol Rovers to sign Lambert in 2009, a fee he quickly repaid by guiding Southampton back to the top flight.

Lambert netted 106 goals in 207 league games during his time at St Mary’s, and easily made the step up to the Premier League, scoring 15 times in his maiden campaign – a tally which made him the joint top-scoring Englishman that year.

Former Anfield captain Jamie Carragher has also praised the move, stating: “I think it’s a very good signing. He’s a local boy, a Liverpool fan, and it’s probably been a dream for him.”

Sevilla have already rejected a bid of €20m plus Suso for the Spain Under-21 left-back, but are expected to sanction a deal shortly amid rumours the player has agreed a contract

By Francisco Rico Lozano

Liverpool have been told to stump up €22 million for Sevilla left-back Alberto Moreno, Goal has learned.

Reports in Spain on Thursday evening suggest that the Reds have already agreed a five-year deal with the Spain Under-21 international.

But they are still to finalise an agreement with the Andalusian club, having already seen a bid of €20m plus attacking midfielder Suso rejected, although the deal is expected to be pushed through imminently.

Sevilla, who won the Europa League and finished fifth in La Liga last season, had been monitoring Suso during his loan at Almeria but were put off by the off-the-field issues which plagued his return to Spain and have no interest in bringing him to the Roman Sanchez Pizjuan.

The Merseysiders had hoped to capitalise on the Spanish club’s previous interest in their 20-year-old, who moved to Anfield from Cadiz’s youth set-up in 2010 but is yet to establish himself in England.

Goal understands Sevilla also have little interest in Tottenham striker Roberto Soldado, who had been linked as part of a swap deal for Moreno.

The Primera Division outfit are happy with current forwards Carlos Bacca and Kevin Gameiro, and are instead looking for a young striker to play a reserve role rather than an established international like Soldado.

Liverpool have acted quickly in this summer’s transfer window, having already wrapped up a deal to bring in England striker Rickie Lambert from Southampton for around €5.5m, which could rise to €11m depending on performances.

Earlier on Thursday they announced an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen’s Emre Can, and on the final day of the Premier League season they lodged a €25m bid for Lambert’s Saints team-mate Adam Lallana, and have since returned with a final €30m offer.