Liverpool consider £65m raid for star forward amid Isak injury concerns

Soccer Football – Premier League – Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain – December 20, 2025 Liverpool's Alexander Isak is helped off the pitch after sustaining an injury and is substituted as Tottenham Hotspur's Richarlison looks on REUTERS/Dylan Martinez EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO USE WITH UNAUTHORIZED AUDIO, VIDEO, DATA, FIXTURE LISTS, CLUB/LEAGUE LOGOS OR 'LIVE' SERVICES. ONLINE IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES, NO VIDEO EMULATION. NO USE IN BETTING, GAMES OR SINGLE CLUB/LEAGUE/PLAYER PUBLICATIONS. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE FOR FURTHER DETAILS..

Liverpool are considering triggering Antoine Semenyo’s £65m release clause in January following Alexander Isak’s injury setback. Isak suffered a suspected leg break while scoring Liverpool’s opener in their 2-1 win over Tottenham on Saturday, and is likely to be out of action for several months.

The Reds may now firm up their interest in Semenyo as replacement for Isak according to The Telegraph. Semenyo’s future continues to draw headlines, with both Manchester clubs also known to be keen on the player.

The Ghana international scored his eighth goal in 16 Premier League appearances during Bournemouth’s 1-1 draw with Burnley on Saturday. He has registered three assists so far as well, putting himself firmly in the January shop window following news of his release clause.

Semenyo’s clause becomes active on 1st January and expires on 10 January, as Bournemouth seek ample time to sign a replacement. The player was already a summer target for Liverpool as a potential long term replacement for Mohamed Salah, but Arne Slot’s side may now move for their man ahead of schedule.

Defending champions Liverpool were the summer’s biggest summer spenders, splashing nearly £446m. The Reds broke the British transfer record twice when signing Florian Wirtz and then Alexander Isak. Hugo Ekitike also joined alongside Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, and Giovanni Leoni.

They endured a difficult start to the campaign however, losing six out of their opening 17 matches, and sitting ten points off leaders Arsenal. They’ve won their last two and are only out of the top four places via goal differential.

The indifferent form led manager Arne Slot to make the decision to drop talisman Mohamed Salah for a few game weeks as he searched for a solution. What ensued was a very public spat, with Salah publicly criticizing the club and manager for their treatment of the situation.

This led many to speculate whether Liverpool’s interest in Semenyo would be made firm in January instead of the summer. With Isak’s injury, it now seems Liverpool have an additional reason to consider an early swoop for Semenyo.

Sky Sport’s Kaveh Solhekol reports that Liverpool would be the favourites ahead of Man United and Man City. Speaking to Sky Sports, Solhekol said:

“If Liverpool come in for him, he’ll go to Liverpool. Liverpool is too good a move to turn down. They have been big admirers of him. They have looked at signing him before.”

“They also have a track record of signing players in January. Luis Diaz looked like he was going to Tottenham and at the last minute Liverpool came in for him. Cody Gakpo looked like he was going to Manchester United.”

“Liverpool don’t get involved in a bidding war. They wait until the last minute, until other clubs almost do a deal for a player and then they make a phone call to say they will match the deal.”

“Liverpool are expected to have a quiet January. There is money to spend. Sometimes they move quickly to get a summer target in if they think they are going to go somewhere else.”

“Over the next few days, especially in light of Isak’s injury, there will be discussions over whether they make a late move for Semenyo.”

Solhekol added that Semenyo might fancy a move to Liverpool given the competition for places at City and the unfamiliar system at United.

Nadji is a football writer with over 10 years of experience covering the Premier League. His work has been featured on Football Fancast, Arsenal-Mania, and Arsenal.com, where he has built a reputation for delivering sharp analysis, engaging storytelling, and in-depth coverage of the game.