Southampton’s Adam Lallana celebrates scoring his side’s third goal of the game. Not For Release/Press Association Images CONFIDENTIAL

Liverpool want Southampton skipper Adam Lallana to strengthen their midfield options as they seek to maintain their Premier League title challenge.

The Reds need to bring in more quality to boost a squad which lacks depth in one or two areas if they are to keep the pressure on current leaders Arsenal.

A top-four finish is the bare minimum required at Anfield this season and Lallana, called into Roy Hodgson’s squad for the forthcoming friendlies with Chile and Germany, has been identified as one of the players who could make a difference.

Lallana hopes to make an impact by making an impressive debut for the Three Lions this week and pushing for inclusion in the party heading to Brazil for next summer’s World Cup.




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‘Every footballer in the whole Premier League would love to go to the World Cup,’ he said. ‘It is what dreams are made of, it’s the pinnacle, so it’d be silly to say anything else really.’

Southampton play Arsenal and Cbelsea in successive matches when the top flight resumes after the international break and Lallana added: ‘It is a big two or three weeks.

‘I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself. I’m just going to go away with England and enjoy it.

‘Enjoy training, playing with the best players, not just in England, but in Europe and the world, and if anything comes off that then it does.

‘When we come back we’ve got two massive performances hopefully that we’ll put in against two of the big boys. It could be a top-of-the-table clash.’

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