Liverpool are after Southampton captain Adam Lallana despite the £30 million price tag the south coast club have put on his head. However, many fans do not want Liverpool to pay this for the 26-year old, who has only just broken into the England squad. In addition, many believe there are better players available for less money, most of whom are younger than Lallana.
Lallana has had a fantastic career at Southampton. After being scouted at the age of 12 whilst living in Bournemouth, he joined Southampton. Making his first team debut in 2006, aged 18, he's gone on to have a truly respectible career. In 2010, aged just 22, he became the first Southampton midfielder to score 20 goals in one season. Since then, he has thrived off pressure from the Saints' loyal fans. Most recently, he was nominated for the PFA Player of the Year Award and called up to England's World Cup squad for Brazil 2014.
Due to this successful season, Lallana has sparked interest from several high level clubs, including Liverpool. However, the asking price for Adam Lallana is continually rising, and has risen to £30 million, a price most Liverpool fans are unwilling to meet. However, Brendan Rodgers is keen to secure the Englishman, hoping to add to his attacking force.
Being an extremely influential player in Southampton's Premier League season, Rodgers will be keen to bring him to Anfield and perhaps Lallana could be the difference for the Reds. He's fast, skilful and has an eye for goal, as well as being a game changing playmaker. This could boost Liverpool's attacking force, and many think Lallana could aid Suarez and Sturridge in terrorising oppostition defences. Furthermore, Lallana can add to Liverpool's defensive force as he works hard in attack and defence.
He also has incredible versatility, being able to play as an attacking midfielder, down the centre, left and right and on both wings, meaning he'll be able to fit into Brendan Rodgers' system in numerous positions. This allows him to make a huge impact on the pitch with his play, and off the pitch due to his influence and experience across the English divisions. This will allow him to give Liverpool a boost and allow them to push for the league title once again and allow them to challenge the biggest clubs in Europe in the prestigious UEFA Champions League.
But what better options could Liverpool approach? Well, for a start, they have been linked strongly with Bayern Munich's Swiss star Xhredan Shaqiri. The 22-year old is currently in Brazil with Switzerland for the World Cup, but it has been reported that Liverpool are in negotiations with Bayern Munich to agree a deal for the young winger. Despite playing mainly on the right, he can also play on the left and down the centre, meaning he too can fit in to Rodgers sqaud in a number of positions.
Another option for Rodgers is Yevhen Konoplyanka, who was linked with the Reds in January. He has a similar play style to Lallana, but is over a year younger and is likely to cost up to £10 million less than the Englishman. More options are Shaktar's Bernard, who wishes to move club due to the political disruption in Donetsk, Napoli's Lorenzo Insigne and Real Sociedad's Antoine Griezmann, who has sparked much interest due to a season of good performances.
However, Liverpool have Adam Lallana on their radar for now, and until that deal falls through, he's the one that looks most likely. If Liverpool's aspirations become a realtiy, all fans and staff will hope that he, who grew up supporting Everton, can be the difference next season for Rodgers' side.