Jamie Carragher brands Liverpool's transfer dealings 'EMBARRASSING' after Southampton reject third bid for Romeo Lavia... before club legend hits back at Gary Neville on Twitter

Jamie Carragher has blasted Liverpool's transfer tactics after they reportedly had a third bid for Romeo Lavia rejected. 

Jurgen Klopp's side have been one of several clubs in the race to sign the Southampton midfielder, with Manchester United also having shown an interest in signing the £50million-rated star. 

The Merseyside outfit are looking to strengthen their midfield stocks following the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, who have recently both signed for clubs in Saudi Arabia. 

Mail Sport understands that the Reds initially tabled £37m offer for Lavia, which was rejected, before they upped their offer for the 19-year-old to £41m.

That was also knocked back by Saints, with Liverpool today having had a third bid of £46m rebuffed with Russell Martin's side holding out on their £50m valuation for the Belgian teenager.  

But Liverpool's attempts to land him have caught the attention of former defender Carragher, who has slammed his old club, calling for them to walk away from the negotiations if they don't agree with Southampton's valuation of Lavia.

'This is embarrassing,' the Sky Sports pundit wrote on Twitter. 'If you don't think he's worth £50m move on. If you really want him, pay it. 

'Also not sure why LFC aren't in for Caicedo, yes it's a lot of money but Liverpool got big money for JH [Jordan Henderson] and FAB [Fabinho].' 

Brighton are locked in a stalemate with Chelsea over their valuation of Caicedo, notably rebuffing an £80m offer to sign the Ecuadorian. 

Mauricio Pochettino's side have also been identifying other midfield targets as they look to get that deal done, including Tyler Adams from Leeds.  

Liverpool, meanwhile, agreed to sell club captain, Henderson, to Al-Ettifaq for £12m earlier in the window, while Fabinho ended a five-year stint at the Merseyside club, signing for Al-Ittihad for £40m. 

It comes after Liverpool landed Dominik Szoboszlai in a £60m deal from RB Leipzig early on in the transfer window, before they announced the signing of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton in a £35m deal a week later.

Lavia, meanwhile, started his career with Belgian club Anderlecht, before moving to Man City's youth set up. 

He spent a year in Manchester before being snapped up by Southampton in 2022, going on to play 29 times in the Premier League, enjoying a brilliant campaign that also saw him score to help his side defeat Chelsea 2-1 at the beginning of the season. 

Lavia was on the bench during Saints' 2-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday last Friday and was not brought on by Martin during the match.