Liverpool set to sign Rickie Lambert in €5m deal from Southampton

Southampton striker Rickie Lambert is expected to undergo a medical at Liverpool on Saturday after the two clubs agreed a fee for the England international.

The Reds are expected to pay an initial €5 million for the 32-year-old with the possibility of further add-ons, although reports of the deal costing €11 million are wide of the mark.

If everything goes to plan Lambert will travel to Merseyside after England’s friendly with Peru at Wembley on Friday night and could be confirmed a Liverpool player as early as Monday.

Merseyside-born Lambert will provide some much-needed back-up to frontline strikers Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge and, having fought his way through the divisions to earn a World Cup call, he will relish the chance to return to the club which he left as a teenager after failing to make the grade from their academy.

Manager Brendan Rodgers's interest in Lambert came out of left-field while he was pursuing deals for the striker's Saints team-mates Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren.

Lallana was seen as the primary target to bolster the Reds’ midfield, with Lovren less so for the centre of defence, but Lambert looks like being the first through the door at Anfield in what is expected to be a busy summer as they look to strengthen ahead of a return to the Champions League.

Liverpool have made a bid, reported to be in the region of €20 million, for Sevilla left back Alberto Moreno but are still in negotiations with the Europa League winners.

Further talks are expected this weekend with Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Emre Can as to whether the Germany under-21 international will also move to Merseyside.

Although there is a buy-out clause of about €12 million which Liverpool are willing to meet, the player’s wage demands are proving a significant stumbling block.

However, what interest the club had in Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm to provide competition for Simon Mignolet has cooled and they are no longer considering the Dutchman as a viable target.