"Thanks FSG for this, well done" - Former Liverpool star makes sarcastic claim as PL rivals make bid for transfer target

Former Liverpool defender Jose Enrique has taken a cheeky dig at the club's owners, the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) after Chelsea reportedly launched a bid for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia.

The Belgium international has been a target for the Reds throughout the ongoing summer window, but they have had three bids rejected so far.

Southampton have put a £50 million price tag on Lavia and are open to selling the former Manchester City player. However, the Reds have yet to match the asking price, with their highest reported bid being just over £45 million (via Fabrizio Romano).

With Chelsea launching a £48 million on Wednesday night (via The Athletic), Enrique took a cheeky dig at FSG, tweeting:

Enrique also called out the Reds owners after Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag's net spending allegedly crossed that of Jurgen Klopp's seven-year stint at Anfield. He wrote on Instagram:

"It's incredible that we have one of the best managers in the world and FSG is not giving him money to spend. And more is needed this summer than we have needed ever before."

He also took shots at FSG when they opted out of the race for Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid and wrote on Twitter:

"They don't want to invest – even if [it] is [for] one of the best numbers 8 in the world, at just 19 [years old]. Does this surprise me? Not at all. From the start I knew he wasn't coming. FSG spending 150m euros on a player without selling? Not a chance."

Liverpool have signed two players this summer - Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Jamie Carragher urges Liverpool to pay up or move on from Chelsea target

Jamie Carragher was left embarrassed by Liverpool's bids for Romeo Lavia and urged his former club to make a quick decision. He wants them to either pay the £50 million asking price or move on to the next target.

He tweeted:

"This is embarrassing. Livėrpool for years now have got deals done quickly with no fuss. 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 [Moises] Caicedo, yes it's a lot of money but Livėrpool got big money for JH [Jordan Henderson] /FAB [Fabinho]."

Liverpool have been linked with midfielder Andre from Fluminense as an alternative to Lavia. They are keen on adding a defensive midfielder after selling Fabinho to Al Ittihad.