Alan Shearer has cautioned Liverpool to exercise care before pursuing Antoine Semenyo, whose Bournemouth contract contains a £65 million ($85.5 million) release clause that becomes active in January.
The Ghanaian winger opted to stay with the Cherries during the summer while several of their key players departed for new clubs. Semenyo has subsequently emerged as a standout performer for Bournemouth this season, registering six goals and three assists in his opening 11 matches, generating increased attention in his abilities.
Two of those strikes came on the campaign's opening day at Liverpool as Bournemouth drew level for a spell. Semenyo covered the full length of the field before beating Alisson for one of his goals.
Speculation suggests he may seek a fresh challenge come the New Year, with Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham among those interested.
However, Shearer maintains that clubs monitoring Semenyo's availability must weigh up the surroundings he would be entering, suggesting he's been at a "tiny" club by comparison.
Liverpool has witnessed such pitfalls directly, with Shearer highlighting the difficulties endured by Milos Kerkez, who was an exceptionally impressive operator for Bournemouth last season.
Antoine Semenyo is having a great season
Antoine Semenyo is having a great season (Image: Getty Images)
He transferred to Anfield but has featured inconsistently in the starting XI, given his struggles.
Shearer told Betfair: "Antoine Semenyo has been linked with a move to Anfield; now I don't know what Liverpool's plans will be for next season, but there'll be a huge list of Premier League clubs that have already enquired about him and would love him in the team because of the ability that he has.
"As we've seen with Kerkez, it's alright playing well at Bournemouth, where it's a great football club, but in terms of size, it's tiny compared to someone like Liverpool. I guess you can say that with most players.
"These clubs invest a lot of money into players, so they'll know everything they need to about the player already."
The Reds made significant additions to their attack during the summer transfer window, securing the signatures of Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, and Florian Wirtz.
However, the trio have struggled to gel, and with Mohamed Salah enduring a notable decline in form, speculation has emerged regarding potential successors to the Egyptian forward.
Semenyo recently revealed he's trying to block out speculation surrounding his future. He said: "I don't think about it too much. I try to stay present as much as I can. You see the news all the time, I see it as well, I'm not oblivious, but I try to keep focused."
Bristol City, who transferred Semenyo to the Cherries in January 2023, stand to receive 20 percent of any profit generated from the winger's sale.