Liverpool sign £100m Salah replacement and £25m bargain in blockbuster January transfer window prediction

It’s been a confusing 2025/26 campaign for Liverpool so far that’s mirrored one of the most rollercoaster off seasons in recent memory but sees the Reds remain the team to beat in the Premier League.

From the lowest ebb imaginable to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s ultimate betrayal; the euphoria or capturing Florian Wirtz and the will-he, won’t-he Alexander Isak saga, Liverpool’s summer transfer window was worthy of an Oscar-nominated documentary while their season has already had as many thrills as a Hollywood blockbuster.

In seven games, Liverpool have conceded eight times and scored five winning goals after the 85th minute, suffered one of the most hilarious red cards in English football history and remain unbeaten across all competitions.

So there’s still work to be done but evolution rather than revolution is required, so we asked Grok to predict Liverpool’s January transfer window.

Liverpool launch Crystal Palace heist for Guehi and Wharton

Marc Guehi - £25 million from Crystal Palace - The most obvious move especially given Liverpool’s near-miss on deadline day - getting as far as a ‘Here We Go’ from Fabrizio Romano - and their defensive struggles so far this campaign. £25 million may be a little steep for a player with six months remaining on his contract but if Crystal Palace’s European adventure is faltering by then, it would surely be enough to convince the Eagles to sell despite Oliver Glasner’s reluctance.

Michael Olise - £100m from Bayern Munich - This would be downright scary. Perhaps the best indicator of just how good Olise is that if he’d declared allegiance to the country of his birth, he’d have a legitimate shot of making Thomas Tuchel’s starting England lineup even up against the likes of Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden. Olise notched a breathtaking 16 goal contributions in just 14 full Premier League games in his final season at Selhurst Park and has only gone from strength to strength since.

He was one of the stars of the 2024 Paris Olympics (across all sports) making an assist in all but one of France’s games and scoring twice, before a staggering debut campaign for Bayern Munich in which his 20 goals and 22 assists in all competitions helped the Bavarians reclaim the Bundesliga.

Aside from his output, Olise is one of the most exciting players to watch amongst Europe’s super clubs - a crackle of anticipation races around the Allianz Arena every time he gets on the ball because the crowd knows he’s capable of the spectacular, and delivers it on a regular basis.

In barely more than a season together, Olise and Harry Kane have directly combined for 14 goals (Salah and Alexander-Arnold had 19 in over 300 games together) so it’s terrifying to think of the partnership the Frenchman could strike with Isak as the new Salah. Will it actually happen? Probably not.

Adam Wharton - £65m from Crystal Palace - Completing the Eagles theme, Adam Wharton has starred for a team that has defied all predictions that they’d struggle in the wake of losing Eberechi Eze and the psychological blow of their demotion to the UEFA Conference League.

Wharton could well be the missing piece to belatedly replace Alexander-Arnold’s penetration, capable of dictating a game and unlocking a defence with a pinpoint pass (as he showed against Liverpool in the Community Shield), Liverpool aren’t short of options in midfield or attack but you can’t pass up a talent like Wharton.

Defensive clearout at Anfield

Ibrahima Konate - £35m to Al-Hilal - £35m for a 26-year-old in the final year of his contract? It can only be the Saudi Pro League! Konate has had a shaky start to the season and appears disinterested in extending his stay on Merseyside. So the Middle East is Arne Slot’s best chance of cashing in while he still can.

Wataru Endo - £10m to Celtic - A player who’s in a similar boat to Konate, Endo’s contract expires in 2027 and he turns 33 in February. A Premier League and EFL Cup champion with Liverpool - he was a titan in the 2024 final at Wembley - Endo’s play 80 times in three seasons for the Reds and would be the latest in a long line of Japanese stars at Celtic Park.

Joe Gomez - £25m to Aston Villa - This sale of Gomez would take Liverpool’s 2025/26 net spend to £338.4m, and bring an end to a Reds career that’s spanned a decade, 244 appearances and every major trophy. Aston Villa have been solid defensively so far this season - thankfully for Unai Emery given the Villans’ goalscoring struggles - but don’t have much depth at centre back as they embark on a third successive European campaign.

AI-predicted 2026 Liverpool starting XI: Grok opts for a 4-3-3 to pack all of Liverpool’s shiny new toys in, selecting: Alisson; Bradley, Guehi, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Wharton; Salah, Ekitike, Wirtz.