“Liverpool Keen on £65m Forward Who Could Outshine Gakpo”
Liverpool climbed into the Premier League’s top four on Saturday, extending their winning streak to three games with a 2-1 triumph over Wolves at Anfield. Florian Wirtz finally netted his first Premier League goal since his £116m transfer from Bayer Leverkusen, following an opener from Ryan Gravenberch.
Despite their recent run of form—remaining unbeaten in their last six league games—the Reds are still exploring options to strengthen their squad in January. Manager Arne Slot appears unsatisfied with his current attacking options and is keen to add another forward.
According to Football Insider, Liverpool remain interested in Bournemouth’s versatile attacker, Antoine Semenyo, with talks ongoing over a potential January move. The report claims the Reds have already approached the Cherries regarding activating Semenyo’s £65m release clause, which is reportedly available during the first half of the transfer window. However, Liverpool are concerned about Manchester City’s interest, as they believe the Ghanaian would prefer joining Pep Guardiola’s side.
If City make a move, securing Semenyo could prove extremely challenging for Liverpool. Nevertheless, the club is expected to continue pursuing him, as he could be a significant upgrade on Cody Gakpo for the left flank. Semenyo can play centrally or on the right but has primarily featured on the left this season, where Gakpo usually operates.
Gabriel Agbonlahor told talkSPORT that Semenyo is “better than Gakpo,” while private coach Saul Isaksson-Hurst described him as a “box-office” player who is “electric” in the final third. Liverpool witnessed his pace firsthand in their season opener against Bournemouth, when he scored a superb goal at Anfield.
This goal is one of nine Premier League strikes Semenyo has scored in the 2025/26 season—more than double Gakpo’s tally. He has also contributed five more goal involvements than Gakpo in just one additional appearance. In 2024/25, Semenyo recorded 11 goals and five assists in the Premier League, compared to Gakpo’s ten goals and four assists for Liverpool. This means that, while playing for a midtable side, Semenyo has outperformed Gakpo in both goals and assists since last season.
While signing a player from a midtable team can be risky due to the shift from counter-attacking to breaking down compact defenses, Semenyo has demonstrated the technical skill, strength, and finishing ability to score against tight defenses—even when double-marked. This suggests he could excel as both a scorer and creator at Liverpool, a team expected to dominate possession rather than rely on counter-attacks.
For these reasons, Liverpool are likely to continue pushing to convince Semenyo to choose Anfield over Manchester City in the upcoming January transfer window.