Liverpool target Antoine Semenyo has been reported to have a release clause, available in January.placeholder image
Liverpool target Antoine Semenyo has been reported to have a release clause, available in January. | Getty Images
Liverpool must save their January expenditure for their most impactful possible signing of them all
The January transfer window could prove key to Liverpool’s ambitions this season as the Premier League champions look to seal a signing or two who could take them to the next level.
While several world-class players have been linked, the Reds must use their money wisely after a record-breaking summer spend and avoid causing further unnecessary disruption to Arne Slot’s already unsettled squad.
One of the Premier League’s top performers so far this season, Antoine Semenyo, is reportedly available for a release clause of just £65million this winter. Liverpool have been linked with him for a matter of months, amidst the belief that the Ghanaian could be the dream replacement for Mohamed Salah.
However, as Salah has begun to pick up his form again in recent weeks and will not be ready to lose his place in the side just yet, would the Reds be smart to use their January budget on another winger – when there is another area of the pitch which is in far more urgent need of reinforcements?
Liverpool must avoid Semenyo temptation and secure stunning defender deal
Despite the struggles of Salah at points of this season so far in addition to big-money signings such as Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, Liverpool’s problem position has undoubtedly been at centre-back.
Moreover, an ACL injury to teenager Geovanni Leoni leaves also injury-prone Joe Gomez as the Reds’ only other natural centre-back option waiting in the wings. A new arrival in January is surely a necessity.
If Liverpool want to truly return to their best and challenge across all fronts this season, they should make a serious play to sign the best-in-class, in Inter Milan’s Italy centre-back Alessandro Bastoni. The Reds have reportedly been preparing a record-breaking €100m (£88m) bid according to The Mirror, and should push forward with this interest to make Bastoni their top target.
Bastoni signing could secure Liverpool back-line for years to come
As is the case with the majority of Liverpool’s high-profile centre-back targets, the aim is to go beyond just replacing Konate in the present - the club need a long-term successor to Virgil van Dijk, and Bastoni could prove just that.
A rock at the back for one of Europe’s best defensive sides in Inter, Bastoni played a key role in the Italian giants’ run to the Champions League final last season, where they conceded just five goals in 12 matches up to the semi-finals, before overcoming Barcelona over two legs and ultimately coming undone against winners PSG.
The 26-year-old has undoubted quality on the ball in the mould of a Van Dijk, and is a major threat in both boxes with one goal and three assists already this season. He would come in and instantly level up the Liverpool back-line in the place of Konate, while offering the perfect long-term replacement for Van Dijk when the time is right for the captain to depart or hang up his boots.
Legendary Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini said in 2023: "I know Alessandro [Bastoni] well, he is one of the strongest central defenders around and for me, he is among the best in the world. He is a player that Italy will be able to count on for many years.”
Semenyo’s relatively low release clause may be tempting, but going all-out for Italy international Bastoni is the best way that Liverpool could spend their mid-season budget this January.
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