Romano: Liverpool have been ‘constantly’ calling about £65m wizard as ‘hijack’ not ruled out | OneFootball

Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Liverpool have been in constant contact with representatives of one player who, for the time being, seems destined for one of their biggest rivals.

In the weeks leading up to the January transfer window, the Reds have been strongly linked with a potential swoop for Antoine Semenyo, with Paul Joyce indicating that there has indeed been ‘interest’ from Anfield in the Bournemouth winger.

However, the Premier League champions were dealt a major blow to any aspirations of landing the 25-year-old when it emerged in recent days that the Cherries forward would prefer to join Manchester City.

What has Romano said about potential Liverpool ‘hijack’ for Semenyo?

On Christmas morning, Romano took to his eponymous YouTube channel with an update on the Ghana international, with Pep Guardiola’s side set to push forward with a prospective January move for the player, although Liverpool have seemingly not given up on an 11th-hour hijack.

The Italian said: “Reports are mentioning Liverpool might hijack Antoine Semenyo. Manchester City want to be as fast to avoid any kind of surprise for the deal. What Man City will do next is to be in touch with Bournemouth. They will be in direct conversation to discuss how to proceed with this deal.

“Man City will sit at a table and say. ‘We have a deal with Semenyo in place; we can pay the release clause of £65m by January 10 or try to agree a different structure’.”

(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Romano added: “From Liverpool, they have always been calling. They called in November and again in December. Liverpool have always been in contact with people close to the player.

“Sources close to the player say his preference is Manchester City, but until the deal is signed, you have to be careful. We will see if Liverpool decide a late attempt. Calls constantly but never an official proposal.”

Liverpool hijack for Semenyo seems rather unlikely

Romano’s update would seem to suggest that the door may still be open for Liverpool to swoop for Semenyo if they’re desperate to sign him, with no formal deal with Man City yet in place.

Realistically, though, it’s hard to envisage the player coming to Anfield if his preference is to join Guardiola’s side, who are likely to move quickly to try and close a transfer before the expiry of his £65m release clause in 15 days’ time.

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

The Bournemouth attacker would’ve been an ideal mid-season addition to Arne Slot’s squad given the dearth of forward options currently available, with Mo Salah away at the Africa Cup of Nations and Alexander Isak sidelined for at least the next two months with an ankle injury.

However, if the Liverpool hierarchy feel that any attempts to court Semenyo would be futile, they’ll swiftly move on to alternative transfer targets rather than indulging any further in what’d be a wild goose chase.

We know from experience that FSG won’t sign players for the sake of it, even in the face of voluble pressure from an element of the fan base, but they’ve also proven that they’re prepared to pounce when the right mid-season opportunity comes up.

The astute swoops of Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz, Virgil van Dijk, Philippe Coutinho and others in previous January windows attests to that, so we wouldn’t rule out another such example in the next five weeks.