Matt Le Tissier has ridiculed Newcastle’s £5million interest in Adam Lallana, calling it “derisory”.

Toon boss Alan Pardew is in the hunt to sign the highly-rated Southampton skipper in January.

The Magpies are seeking reinforcements after a first-half of the season badly affected by injuries to important attacking players, while they also require more strength in depth in order to sustain a Europa League campaign alongside their domestic one.

24-year-old has a strong fitness record, having started all fifteen matches for Saints this season, a crucial consideration for Newcastle.

But Southampton legend Le Tissier insists Newcastle’s asking price is too low for his former club to take seriously.

Le Tiss told The Sun, “£5million? It’s derisory, to be honest. There’s no way Southampton will sell Lallana for that amount of money.

“He’s the club captain there, he’s playing every week and the fans love him.”

Le Tissier believes Lallana, who came through the youth teams at St Mary’s, is good enough to play in a top-four side and would only leave Southampton for a team chasing glory in Europe.

The ex-England man added: “Adam has taken Southampton up through the leagues and now he is playing for them in the Premier League.

“He wouldn’t leave unless it was for a top, top club challenging for the Champions League.”

Southampton host Reading at the weekend in what has been billed as an early-season six-pointer.

Both sides currently occupy the bottom three, but a Saints victory could see them climb out of the drop zone if other results go their way.