Liverpool lead the pack in the race to sign £65m PL star

Liverpool have been struggling to match their high expectations this season, and last night at Anfield there was another display to echo the concerns around the club.

Arne Slot became Jurgen Klopp’s successor when he took the role of Liverpool head coach in the summer of 2024, and led the squad to glory with a Premier League title win in his first season.

The Dutchman defied the odds and opinions against him to deliver the 20th league title on the red side of Merseyside, but has struggled to maintain his success so far this season.

Liverpool are currently eighth in the top-flight table after their 1-1 draw with Sunderland, and in the Champions League they have fallen to 13th after a troubling defeat to PSV Eindhoven last week.

The club recruited heavily, spending £450m over the summer, when the likes of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong joined the squad to make their mark on Liverpool’s ambitions and success.

However, the new additions have struggled to settle into their roles, with injuries and near-miss opportunities plaguing their debut campaign.

It isn’t just the recently signed players that are having a torrid time; Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah has been a shadow of himself over the last few months.

Liverpool’s talisman has only found the back of the net five times across all competitions so far, and it has been confirmed that he will join his Egypt teammates on December 15th for AFCON preparation.

Salah’s future at the club has come under question, with reports suggesting a move to the Saudi Pro League could come sooner than expected after signing a two-year contract to remain at Liverpool earlier this year.

Although there is a possibility that the club would sanction a move for the 33-year-old, finding his replacement would be imperative, as his impact in most circumstances is too big to lose.

According to Football Insider, Liverpool are the frontrunners in the race to sign AFC Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo.

The talented forward has a release clause of £65m activating in January, and the Reds are set to rival Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City to secure his signature.

There is no doubt that Liverpool need to consider the potential of losing Salah in the coming months, especially if they want to recoup any money for him.

Salah’s contract extension will expire in the summer after he turns 35, and the likelihood of a further extension is slim given his age.

As a result, striking while the iron is hot could be the solution for Liverpool to plan for a future without their star player, and Semenyo may be the man for the job.

Liverpool’s acquisition of Isak and Ekitike would have been planned to spread the goal contributions in the team, so if and when they finally find their feet and consistency, the overwhelming reliance on Salah should be redundant.

However, that’s not to say that Semenyo won’t be expected or relied upon to deliver contributions if Liverpool do trigger the clause next month.

Over 14 appearances for the Cherries this season, the Ghana international has scored six goals and registered three assists, offering a goal contribution every 135 minutes, and he would be expected to continue that form on Merseyside.

With that being said, it will be interesting to see whether Liverpool attack the market in January or not, and that is likely to depend on whether they can improve their current form.

Many areas of the squad require the attention of the recruitment powers at Liverpool, and after their blockbuster spending in the summer, it will be curious to see whether they commit even more funds to the attacking threat.

Rebekka Arnold is an experienced writer with a strong background in digital media, PR and football journalism.

Since 2021, Rebekka has written opinion pieces and match reaction content for Football Fancast, part of the Snack Media network, building on her growing presence in the football community through viral Twitter content and podcasting.

Now at Transfer Tavern, Rebekka brings her sharp eye for analysis and deep passion for the game to deliver engaging football opinion and breaking transfer news content.