Jamie Carragher has labelled Liverpool's pursuit of Romeo Lavia "embarrassing" after their third transfer bid was rejected by Southampton.
The Reds legend has also suggested that his former club are going after the wrong midfielder, as they search to replace recently-departed duo Fabinho and Jordan Henderson. Lavia, 19, has emerged as manager Jurgen Klopp's priority target in the final month of the transfer window but Southampton are holding firm at their £50million asking price.
Liverpool's latest bid is understood to have only been worth £45m inclusive of add-ons. Claims that the Saints had rejected the offer on Monday prompted an irked Carragher to jump on Twitter and launch a stinging attack on Liverpool's operation, noting their apparent lack of serious interest in Brighton star Moises Caicedo, who's been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea.
"This is embarrassing," the ex-Reds centre-back declared. " Liverpool for years now have got deals done quickly with no fuss. If you don't think he's worth 50M move on, if you really want him pay it. Also not sure why LFC aren't in for Caicedo, yes it’s a lot of money but Liverpool got big money for JH/FAB."
Plenty of Liverpool supporters appeared to agree with him, as the tweet garnered just shy of 18,000 likes and more than 2,500 retweets within an hour of posting. One fan wasn't aligned, though, replying: "Is it? Not sure it's Liverpool leaking that. It was Southampton that Liverpool p***ed off over Virgil van Dijk, so imagining not getting many favours. Agree on Caicedo - real talent at such a young age."
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Have your say! Should Liverpool walk away from trying to sign Romeo Lavia? Give us your verdict in the comments section.
Romeo Lavia remains a Southampton player despite three bids from Liverpool (Getty Images)Carragher responded by doubling down on his verdict. The Sky Sports and CBS pundit wrote back: "Three bids turned down considering how we normally go about our business I'd say it was!"
In his response to the original tweet, ex- Manchester United captain and Carragher's punditry partner for Sky, Gary Neville, didn't miss the opportunity to make a dig by asking: "Do you now agree that Klopp has shielded your owners for the last 5-6 years?"
As for Lavia's situation, the Belgian starlet remains a part of Southampton boss Russell Martin's plans for the time being but was an unused substitute during Friday's 2-1 win away to Sheffield Wednesday. That got the Saints off to a winning start following their relegation to the Championship which even an inspired Lavia couldn't prevent.
The teenage sensation joined Southampton from English champions Manchester City last summer for an initial £10.5m, potentially rising to £14m. Much like Caicedo's rapid rise to stardom on the south coast, Lavia wasted little time to pose a positive impression and has made himself one of Europe's most sought-after young midfielders.
Southampton are open to selling him but after already agreeing a deal to offload highly-rated right-back Tino Livramento to Newcastle for an initial £35million, the Saints are in no rush to cash in on another exciting talent. Meanwhile, Ecuador international Caicedo is currently valued at an eye-watering £105m by Brighton, who hope to match the fee which West Ham received when selling Declan Rice to Arsenal in July.
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