Southampton chief executive Martin Semmens has used Liverpool as an example of their successful transfer model.
The Reds made a habit of going to Southampton for new players in the past, with several signings coming from the Saints.
In the summer of 2014, Liverpool brought Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren to Anfield from St Mary’s.
A year later in 2015, Nathaniel Clyne was signed by Liverpool from Southampton, and it was the same with Sadio Mane in 2016.
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Liverpool ’s most recent signing from Southampton was their club-record deal worth £75million for Virgil van Dijk in January 2018.
Semmens was talking about the club’s record of selling their most promising young players to the Premier League’s biggest clubs, and used Liverpool to make his point.
The Saints chief used right-back Timo Livramento to make his point of how they play to sign the best young players with the promise that they could sign for the likes of Liverpool in the future.
“People assume we want to sell players to make money,” Semmens told BBC 5Live .
He added: “It has absolutely nothing to do with money, it’s to do with the pathway.
“If you don’t let Tino Livramento go to Liverpool one day when they want him, then the next one doesn’t come in.
“So we think about it as a five-pointed circle.
“We talk about finding the best young players in the world, proving the best possible environment for them, playing them, which is where Ralph comes in. He leans across the table in recruitment meetings and goes ‘I will play you in the Premier League next week’ and they come.
“And then make sure we improve them on a daily basis, so when Liverpool do call and they want that player, you have to let them go.
“Otherwise, the next one coming out of the Man City academy goes ‘I don’t want to come because you won’t let me go’.
“It’s nothing to do with raising money, we don’t want the money. We’d much rather have that fantastic player.
“But if you don’t give people the view that they could one day replace Sadio Mane, then they don’t want to be here.”
