Antoine Semenyo has reportedly told Bournemouth that Liverpool ‘is his top choice’ for a January transfer as he looks to win the Champions League this season.
The Reds are having a poor season by their standards with Arne Slot’s defending champions losing five of their first 11 Premier League matches.
Things had looked rosy early on in the campaign when Liverpool won all five of their opening five games – but since then then have lost five of their last six Premier League fixtures.
Scoring hasn’t really been a problem for the Reds, although Mohamed Salah and some of his fellow forwards have not been on top form so far this term.
But there are rumours that Liverpool could enter the transfer market to sign a new winger, as well as a centre-back to help shore up their leaky defence.
A report last week claimed that the Reds are ‘preparing an €80m (£70m) offer to sign’ Semenyo – who can play on both wings – from Bournemouth in the January transfer window.
However, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano insisted last week that it was “very unlikely” that Bournemouth would allow Semenyo to leave in the middle of the season.
Romano said on GiveMeSport’s Market Madness podcast: “I don’t think it is going to be a mid-season departure, I don’t think it is going to be with Liverpool.
“I think Liverpool is going to be very quiet in the January window. In the summer, it can be different.
“I still want to respect Bournemouth, let them enjoy the player. It is still November and they are not planning for him to leave in January.
“There is a lot of interest in the player and there is a release clause, so it is a super interesting situation but I think it is for the summer window. For January, it is very unlikely.”
There have been claims that Semenyo is ‘annoyed’ at reports that he has ‘asked to leave’ Bournemouth in the January transfer window amid mounting interest in his services.
And now the same reliable account on X made up of ‘five elite reporters’, who broke news that he wants to leave in the winter, has claimed that Liverpool is now Semenyo’s ‘top choice’ as he believes he can win the Champions League this season at Anfield.
The account wrote: ‘Exclusive. Antoine Semenyo has made it clear to Bournemouth that 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 in January. Apparently, he’s been vocal about his ambitions, 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 this season.’