The Saints have set their price for Lallana.
Southampton have told Liverpool that it will cost £25m if they want to sign their captain Adam Lallana before the 2014 World Cup starts, according to the Daily Star.
The Reds made an opening bid of £20m for the attacking midfielder earlier in the month, with deals for England internationals needing to be completed before the World Cup, as national team manager Roy Hodgson has banned agents from contacting the players in Brazil.
However, the Saints don’t feel this is a fair valuation of Lallana and have told the Merseysiders it will cost £5m more than that to land the 26-year-old.
The club are now mulling over this proposal, with one eye on Bayern Munich winger Xherdan Shaqiri should they decide that is too much for the Englishman.
Shaqiri is not only four years younger than Lallana, but is likely to be cheaper than the skipper at St Mary’s due to his lesser status at his current club.
The Switzerland international arrived at the Allianz Arena in 2012, but has found first team opportunities hard to come by due to the fact he is competing with the likes of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben for a place in the starting XI.
Lallana meanwhile is a stalwart for the Saints and played every single one of their Premier League games in 2013/14, in which the club finished in an impressive eighth position.
Brendan Rodgers wants to strengthen his squad after a brilliant campaign of his own, in which the Merseyside club qualified for the Champions League for the first time in five years after finishing second in the English top flight.
Lallana has the ability to operate almost anywhere in midfield and this versatility appeals to Rodgers, but the Northern Irishman may balk at the price quoted for the English star.
READ MORE: Liverpool transfer gossip.
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