Adam Lallana is keen to return to St. Mary’s Stadium this summer after failing to make an impression in the Liverpool first-team this season.
According to Express, Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana is willing to quit Liverpool in an attempt to return to Southampton this summer. The England international has struggled at Anfield this season, having made just five starts over the course of the 2018-19 Premier League campaign.
It is believed that Lallana has told his friends that he would welcome a return to St. Mary’s next season. As a result, Southampton are monitoring his situation and might be willing to sanction a move for the midfielder this summer. Liverpool could ask for a fee in the region of £13 million for their wantaway star.
It has been a roller coaster ride for Lallana since moving to Anfield back in 2014. The 31-year-old has shown immense promise, but injuries and lack of form have hugely restricted his overall game-time. As a matter of fact, Lallana is yet to muster 500 minutes of league football in any of the past two seasons.
He has also suffered five different injuries at Liverpool, including a hamstring problem that kept him out for almost four months last season. As for this campaign, he has been often overlooked by Jurgen Klopp, largely due to impressive performances from Georginio Wijnaldum and new recruit Xherdan Shaqiri.
And after a promising campaign, Liverpool would naturally want to add more quality to their team this summer. That means a further dip down the pecking order for Adam Lallana. Hence, a move away from Anfield is certainly logical for the England international.
Southampton, in that regard, are perhaps the ideal destination for Lallana. The Saints have looked a dangerous side following the arrival of Ralph Hasenhuttl earlier this year. The Austrian mastermind has rejuvenated the team and has made Southampton much more attack-minded. And this could benefit Lallana given the nature of his role.
The experienced midfielder can be easily accommodated in Southampton’s three-man midfield setup, especially given how they have struggled with injuries to star players like Mario Lemina and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Lallana’s ability to operate as a ball-carrier will allow the likes of Lemina and Hojbjerg to become much more expressive in their defensive game.
But, what makes Lallana such an appealing target for the Saints is his vast experience in English football. Indeed, the 31-year-old has mustered almost 200 Premier League games during his career, and this experience will definitely help him integrate into Hasenhuttl’s attack-oriented system at Southampton next season.
