January move possible: Liverpool given huge encouragement over £65m ‘game changer’ | OneFootball

Liverpool appear to have been given significant encouragement regarding one rumoured transfer target at Anfield.

As recently outlined by Lewis Steele, the Reds are ‘certainly keen’ on a move for Antoine Semenyo in 2026, although the journalist dismissed reports from some sources that the Ghana forward had asked to leave Bournemouth.

Arsenal and both Manchester clubs are also understood to be among the suitors for the 25-year-old (Daily Briefing), who’s currently the joint-third highest scorer in the Premier League this season with six goals.

Liverpool given encouragement over Semenyo

On Monday evening, The Athletic‘s David Ornstein shared an intriguing update on the Cherries’ number 24 which could be music to the Liverpool hierarchy’s ears.

Bournemouth ‘reluctantly accept’ that they may be ‘powerless’ to stop Semenyo from leaving in January, although their preference would be to hold onto him for at least the remainder of 2025/26.

As part of a new contract that he signed at the Vitality Stadium in July, the Ghanaian has a release clause of £65m which ‘must be activated’ by a certain date in the winter transfer window so that they’d have a couple of weeks to replace him mid-season.

(Photo by Toru Hanai/Getty Images)

Liverpool must learn from Guehi near-miss if they want to sign Semenyo

With this update coming from the ever-reliable Ornstein, we can take it at face value, and the south coast club appear to be braced for the possibility of a January exit for the 25-year-old, who The Athletic‘s Thom Harris hailed as a ‘game changer’ with an ideal ‘blend of technique and power’.

The presence of a £65m release clause gives Liverpool a specific figure to aim towards if they are to bid for Semenyo over the winter, but if they are serious about a mid-season move for him, they must be more proactive than they were in their pursuit of Marc Guehi over the summer.

A deal had been agreed with Crystal Palace for the defender, but the Eagles pulled the plug late on deadline day as they didn’t have time for a replacement, with the Merseysiders’ gamble on waiting until the end of August to make their move ultimately backfiring.

The Reds actually play Bournemouth away on the weekend of 24/25 January, so Richard Hughes may privately be targeting completion of a transfer before those dates so that the winger will be playing for rather than against the champions, and the Cherries would still have time to replace him before the window shuts.

With the south coast club seemingly fearful that Semenyo might leave mid-season, and Liverpool knowing that £65m could get the deal done, opportunity appears to knock…but the same is true for every other prospective suitor for the Ghana international.

You can watch Slot’s full post-Man City press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube: