Liverpool’s yearly Southampton raids have become quite the running joke here in the Football Transfer Tavern, with the club building up quite the habit of snapping up Southampton stars over the last few years.
It began under Brendan Rodgers with the signing of players including Dejan Lovren and Nathaniel Clyne, and Jurgen Klopp has now continued the tradition with the capture of Sadio Mane.
Now with £15 million in the bank following the sale of Jordan Ibe to Bournemouth, Liverpool will no doubt be looking to improve their squad further; and where better to scout for talent than Southampton once again.
Despite seemingly selling their top players each year, Southampton seem to always come back and improve their squad, meaning that Liverpool have an endless pool of players to pick up for inflated fees.
With that, here are THREE Southampton players that Liverpool should spend the Jordan Ibe money on…..
Ryan Bertrand
Liverpool are looking for a left sided full back this summer, with Alberto Moreno set to be axed by Jurgen Klopp.
The Spanish full back was inconsistent last year, and a number of mistakes cost Liverpool goals throughout the course of the campaign.
Ryan Bertrand is the opposite of that; he is a consistent, level headed defensive full back that also offers a decent threat going forward.
He would add some real class and defensive stability to the Liverpool back line, fitting into the side perfectly.
£15 million may not be enough to capture him on its own, but it would definitely go a long way to signing the team of the year candidate.
Virgil Van Djik
Like Alberto Moreno, Liverpool central defensive pair Lovren and Sakho have been the subject of a host of Liverpool fan anger here in the Tavern in recent months.
On their day both players are decent, but like Moreno they are prone to shocking mistakes – which really costs Liverpool long term.
Van Djik has excelled since joining Southampton and has really shown Liverpool what they are missing out on after he rejected them in favor of a Saints move.
A solid, no nonsense central defender; Van Djik would be perfect as Liverpool look to improve their back line.
Like Bertrand, Liverpool would likely have to go beyond the £15 million parameter given that he has just signed a new deal; but he would be worth every penny.
Charlie Austin
Charlie Austin to Liverpool is a deal that doesn’t make too much sense on the surface, but in reality it could turn into a real good piece of business.
Charlie Austin is a prolific center forward, having been the one shining light in a very poor QPR team.
Since then has he moved to Southampton and has continued to impress, though largely as a second choice striker behind Pelle.
Liverpool on the other hand are in dire need of striker reinforcements, with Balotelli and Benteke seemingly destined for the exit and Sturridge often injured.
Austin would score for fun in such a talented Liverpool team; and as a boyhood Liverpool fan he would no doubt find it hard to turn any move down.
Austin would be hard to get hold of, especially given the fact that Southampton have already sold Pelle this summer.
But if they manage to capture him, he has already proven how many goals he can score in the Premier League.
What a deal it would be.
