They also demanded that unless Richards forfeited his right to 20 per cent of any transfer deal then they would demand £10m from the Londoners.
Richards was given permission to open talks over personal terms yesterday afternoon and later passed a medical. Hoddle was forced to push through the deal after injuries to Goran Bunjevcevic ( cheekbone) and Gary Doherty (broken leg) seriously depleted his squad in the last week.
The situation was not helped by the news that right-back Steve Carr, who underwent an operation in America on his damaged knee, can expect to be on the sidelines for at least four months.
Southampton have targeted the unsettled Arsenal defender Matthew Upson and Leeds centre-half Michael Duberry as possible replacements for Richards.
Meanwhile, Jerzy Dudek admits it could be hard for him to win over the Liverpool fans because he has replaced favourite Sander Westerveld. The Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier brought in Dudek from Feyenoord after Westerveld made one blunder too many against Bolton.
Despite Houllier?s feelings about Westerveld, Dudek knows he was popular with the supporters.
?People here don?t really know me, or have heard much about me, and I have come to replace a goalkeeper who had helped win five trophies, so there is bound to be more expectation on me because of that,? said the Polish international.
Dudek will make his fifth appearance for Liverpool against Tottenham at Anfield tomorrow.
Houllier is still without the services of Patrik Berger, who is recovering from his knee operation, and Markus Babbel, who has been ill.
