Liverpool transfer news round-up: Antoine Semenyo, Marc Guehi and more after Alexander Isak injury blow

Liverpool could become major players in the January transfer market after Alexander Isak’s serious injury ruled him out for several months.

Arne Slot can at least lean on Hugo Ekitike, with the French forward settling quickly to life in the Premier League.

“It’s going to be a long injury, for a couple of months,” Slot said of Isak, who joined the Reds from Newcastle for £125m in the summer and has scored just three goals in 16 appearances in all competitions. “It’s a big disappointment for him and, as a result, for us.”

But reinforcements could come to boost the Reds after a testing first half of the season.

Here are the latest stories surrounding the transfer market at Anfield:

Antoine Semenyo has been one of the players of the season for Bournemouth and is the main name strongly attached to the Reds so far ahead of next month’s window opening. The 25-year-old is also versatile, with an ability to play across the front line, and has scored eight goals and assisted three more in just 16 Premier League appearances this term under Andoni Iraola.

But while the Reds have registered an interest in Semenyo, Manchester City have moved ahead of Liverpool in the race to sign the Ghanaian international, with The Independent understanding City have opened talks with Bournemouth in a bid to sign the player.

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Semenyo has a £65m release clause in his contract with the Cherries and while a move is not yet wrapped up, Liverpool face a decision whether to trigger the release clause themselves and match City’s interest. Semenyo would like to decide upon his next club before 1 January, while his release clause is thought to expire on 10 January.

Fabrizio Romano says that Liverpool are “open” to strengthening the squad next month, though that is unlikely to involve Marc Guehi, having had a bid accepted before the move collapsed late in the window last summer.

The Crystal Palace star is likely to wait until next summer for a move on a free transfer, though Liverpool will still be in the race with Bayern Munich are also strongly linked.

The Reds may nevertheless be making progress over another centre-back target, with The Mirror claiming they are set to sign Joel Ordonez from Club Brugge in the coming days - after Chelsea pulled out of the race to secure the Ecuadorian's services. The Reds could shell out as much as £43m for the centre-half, as Slot looks to plug the holes in the heart of his defence.

Mohamed Salah’s future will also need to be settled, though the Egypt star will complete his time at the Afcon 2025 with the Pharaohs before returning to Anfield next month. Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson will similarly go into amid uncertainty, with both entering the final six months of their current contracts. Liverpool remain committed to extending Konate’s deal but will not budge from their existing wage structure, according to Sky Sports.

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Brentford forward Igor Thiago, after his blazing start to the season with the Bees with 11 goals in 17 Premier League games, and PSG’s Bradley Barcola are names that have floated around recent gossip columns, though neither move has accelerated or gathered pace just yet.

Isak’s injury has also prompted reports of interest in various strikers, with PSG’s Goncalo Ramos, Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic and England international Ivan Toney named as potential short-term solutions, but nothing concrete has been established.

Meanwhile Harvey Elliott, currently struggling for game time on loan at Aston Villa, is unlikely to return to Anfield after Slot’s concise summary of the Reds’s stance.

“No, Harvey is an Aston Villa player and he is supposed to be going there for a season. So, questions about him, the best thing to ask is Aston Villa - they are doing really well, by the way.”