Liverpool have been told they must make a more “respectful” offer if they want to sign Ajax striker Luis Suarez.
The Reds are keen to bring the 24-year-old Uruguay international to Merseyside during the current transfer window, but the two clubs remain some way apart in the respective valuations of the player.
And Liverpool’s director of football strategy Damien Comolli has been told to make a more realistic offer for Suarez, who netted 49 times in all competitions for the Dutch giants last season.
An Ajax spokesman said: “We'll have to wait for them to come back with something more respectful.
“We want to keep him - at least until the end of the season and preferably for the rest of his contract.
“If you compare the €15 million Liverpool want to pay for Suarez with other transfers you can imagine that it's far too low for us.
“Luis is our top goalscorer for the last three years and also the man with by far the most assists.”
This is not the first time Liverpool have been criticised in their pursuit of players this month, with Blackpool manager Ian Holloway condemning an offer, believed to be worth £4m, for captain Charlie Adam.
Holloway said: “We need to be compensated correctly in this matter and at the moment Liverpool are simply not offering anything like enough.”