Cape Town - Southampton
legend Matt Le Tissier has slammed Liverpool after they were accused of
illegally approaching sought-after defender Virgil van Dijk.
The Reds have apologised for the way they pursued the Saints centre-back's services, after it was reported that Jurgen Klopp had held private talks with Van Dijk before lodging a formal bid.
Le Tissier has criticised the Merseysiders for their behaviour, and added that he didn't expect a club of their stature to be caught 'tapping up' a player.
"Somebody forgot that the way to go about a transfer is to actually make a bid first," he told talkSPORT.
"Where all these stories came from, they just jumped the gun a little bit early and maybe should have held fire until Liverpool had agreed a fee with Southampton then maybe they would have got the man.
"I remember the days when Liverpool used to be quite classy in transfer negotiations."
Le Tissier added: "There have been no bids for Virgil this summer, and until a bid has been accepted you shouldn't be talking to the player."