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Rodgers is still waiting to finalise a new long-term deal as Anfield boss. PA Wire/Press Association Images
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Rodgers coy on Lallana, contract talks as Liverpool jet back out of Dublin

They came, they saw… they didn’t say much about potential transfer targets.

BRENDAN RODGERS WOULD not be drawn last night on speculation linking Liverpool with a £25 million swoop for Southampton captain Adam Lallana.

Reports on Wednesday suggested that Lallana, 26, is ready to hand in a transfer request to force a move to Anfield before he jets off to the World Cup.

Reds boss Rodgers couldn’t hide his admiration but stopped short of publicly identifying Lallana as one of his major summer targets.

He said: “The criteria for players that we’re looking for is players with strong technique, football intelligence, who mentally have the attitude and the capacity to learn, and they have to be so hungry to fight for every ball every day in training.

“There’s a lot of good players out there and certainly Adam Lallana is a very good young player but I’m not going to tell you who we’re after. You can respect that.”

Rodgers was in Dublin where a second-string Liverpool, stripped of their Brazil-bound stars, beat Shamrock Rovers 4-0 in front of more than 42,000 in the Aviva Stadium.

On Monday he was named as LMA Manager of the Year in recognition of Liverpool’s remarkable title challenge which saw them finish two points behind champions Manchester City.

And he admitted: “It was a huge privilege — but I’d rather have been on an open-top bus that night.”

Club owners Fenway Sports Group are said to be anxious to tie Rodgers, who has two years left on his current contract, to a new long-term deal.

But the Carnlough native said that negotiations might not be finalised until later in the summer.

“It has taken time because I don’t have an agent, I do my own discussions.

I’ve been busy but somewhere along the line between now and the beginning of next season, it will be sorted I’m sure.

Reflecting on the season and Liverpool’s near miss, he said: “My overriding feeling is of pride.

“The restoration when I came in two years ago was to get Liverpool back to become one of the leading clubs in Europe again.

“Over the last two years the identity of the team, the style of football, has made the British leagues and the European leagues sit up and take notice.

This season we’ve had some incredible performances that have put Liverpool back and recovered the soul of the club again.

“The supporters feel pride and enthusiasm in their club and they now have a spring in their step that we’re heading back in the direction which Liverpool is, which is to be the best.”

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