Liverpool really admires Southampton.
Okay, okay, so that’s simply an educated guess, but it’s of fairly quality logic with the news that the Anfield club have had a $15.25 million bid for defender Nathaniel Clyne rejected by Saints.
Clyne, 24, is in the mix to join the crop of three former Saints at Liverpool, as the Reds dished out close to $77 million last summer for Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Rickie Lambert.
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After making a name for himself at Crystal Palace, Clyne transferred to St. Mary’s in 2012 and had little trouble adjusting to the Premier League. The four-times capped Englishman has made 99 total appearances across all competitions for Southampton, scoring five times.
Manchester United is among the other clubs said to be targeting Clyne, but the back is said to prefer Liverpool. The Red Devils made a big Southampton buy of their own last summer when they scooped up 19-year-old left back Luke Shaw for nearly $46 million.
The Liverpool Echo claims the Reds will up their bid for Clyne, and that Brendan Rodgers sees him as the “ideal” replacement for Glen Johnson.