Liverpool can solve goal-scoring woes with stunning £75m January move for dream Mohamed Salah replacement

As Liverpool laboured in their attempts to get back into the game against Manchester United last weekend, the struggles of talisman Mohamed Salah to have any impact on proceedings were tangible.

The Egyptian is usually so devastating when he faces United - he has scored 13 goals and registered another six assists against the Red Devils - but Salah appeared entirely short on ideas in front of a speechless Anfield.

When team-mates had possession, Salah appeared to get himself out of the way on multiple occasions rather than look for a pass. When he did receive the ball, his usual sharpness was absent. This was particularly apparent when he sliced wide a gilt-edged second-half opportunity.

So often the thorn in United’s side, Salah could only watch on from the bench in the final moments as the Red Devils held on for an unlikely victory, the Reds’ fourth defeat in a row. The days of his Old Trafford hat-trick in 2021 seemed a distant memory. Instead, Arne Slot replaced the 33-year-old just when the Reds most needed a goal.

Liverpool should look to Antoine Semenyo as dream Salah successor

The need to search for a long-term successor to Salah is now appearing more urgent than ever. Fans will hope that his poor start to this season is a mere blip and normal service will soon resume, but that does not take away from the fact that soon enough, one of the Reds’ greatest-ever players will move on.

But Liverpool may not need to look far for their dream successor to the Egyptian. Reports by the Express state that the Reds are considering making a January move for Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, who has been the Premier League’s in-form player in the early months of this season (alongside the inevitable Erling Haaland) and looks set to be the subject of a bidding war in 2026.

Slot’s men are not alone in their admiration of Semenyo, as United themselves are said to be interested, alongside Tottenham Hotspur. The report continues that Semenyo’s current Cherries contract contains a release clause, believed to be in the region of the £75 million they were demanding for the Ghana international over the summer. While that seemed an excessive fee at the time, the 25-year-old’s form this campaign has made clubs sit up and notice - and should a January move be on the table, it could represent a golden opportunity to save Liverpool’s season.

Reds must not pass up chance to secure Semenyo signing

Semenyo is preparing to enter the prime years of his career, now with over two years of Premier League experience under his belt. If the early evidence is anything to go by, prime Semenyo seems like a scary prospect.

With six goals and three assists in eight games this season, the former Bristol City man’s sheer pace and power make him a force to be reckoned with, capable of deciding games on his own. Liverpool saw that first-hand in August, as Semenyo recovered admirably from receiving abhorrent abuse from a supporter in the crowd to net twice against the Reds. This strength of character only adds to the feeling that he could make it to the very top.

The idea that Semenyo should come in midway through the season and completely oust Salah from the side seems unrealistic and borderline unreasonable, considering that Salah has not lost lost his match-winning quality overnight. But Semenyo is comfortable playing on either wing, and could rotate with both the Egyptian and Cody Gakpo to add another dimension to the Reds’ formidable strike-force.

By next season, it might be a reality that Salah’s glittering Liverpool career begins to slow down and come to a close. But the Reds must strike while they can to sign Semenyo, because there might not be a better replacement around. Should the champions abstain and see the Bournemouth man move elsewhere in the winter, their dream Salah replacement may have slipped through their grasp.