€50m January Liverpool transfer now looks CERTAIN | OneFootball

A month or two ago, Richard Hughes was probably expecting to have a laid back January with not much to do.

Fast forward to now, the Liverpool sporting director will be having crucial talks to gear up for what could be a hectic period.

As of today, Liverpool currently have two fit centre-backs and just one fit natural no.9 with Alexander Isak set to be ruled out for a significant period.

We don't quite know the exact time frame of Isak's injury but the expectations are that he's going to be unavailable for at least a few months.

That's going to have to force Liverpool's hands. Especially with Mohamed Salah also away at the African Cup of Nations, and there is a chance Saudi Arabia comes knocking on Liverpool's door to try and lure him away from Anfield as well.

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In light of these developments, Liverpool are going to have to make a move to reinforce the attack.

The most obvious choice would be to sign Antoine Semenyo, but in recent times it's Manchester United and City who are winning the race for him.

Liverpool therefore might have to move on. If they want a similar profile to Semenyo, who can play as a no.9 and out on the wing and who is a high volume shooter rather than a facilitator than the next obvious move is Vasco da Gama's Rayan.

The 19-year-old Brazilian sensation has 20 goals this season at club level and GOAL reported that he could become a January target for Liverpool.

This now looks like a certain move. Rayan makes a lot of sense because of his ability to play as a right-winger, thus giving more depth in a position that will soon be vacated by Salah, but he's also very capable of playing as a no.9, which gives more depth for Liverpool in attack and less reliance on Hugo Ekitike and Isak.

Obviously, he's still young and he will need an adaptation period but we've seen plenty of South Americans hit the ground running straight away in the Premier League. Rayan because of his physical profile does have the ability to do the same.

He's not the quickest but he's very strong and he's got a lethal left foot on him.