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After looking as though he'd be Liverpool's first signing of the (not actually open yet) summer transfer window, Adam Lallana's name has faded into the background. Liverpool apparently lodged an official bid in the range of £20m at some point in the past few weeks, but Southampton felt that wasn't enough for a player that had a breakout season as part of a side that played some of the Premier League's more attractive football.
For most the question wasn't about fit but price, and if reports from the Liverpool Echo tonight are anything to go by, there's only going to be more uncertainty as it's revealed that the asking price could end up being significantly more.
Southampton are apparently looking to retain £20m from Lallana's sale, but in keeping with Liverpool's recent tradition of only engaging in transfer negotiations that are more complex than differential equations, the player's current club wouldn't be able to just take the £20m Liverpool offered. It's not really Southampton's fault, though, as they're entitled to whatever price they've set on a player. Here the culprit is Championship side Bournemouth, who earned a small fee for a 12 year old Lallana along with a sell-on guarantee of 25% if he was ever sold. If only Donald Sutherland were a Bournemouth advisor 14 years ago.
For Liverpool it seems to be a major decision point in their pursuit of the player--stand firm on the original offer, or increase it to the point that would see Southampton walk away happy, a sum that would see a deal potentially completed for upwards of £26m.
