Liverpool know that things need to improve when club football returns this weekend.
The final international break of the calendar year has offered a welcome reprieve for Arne Slot and co following the dour 3-0 defeat at Manchester City, stunting any hopes of short-lived growth and condemning the champions to five defeats from six Premier League matches.
Concerning stuff, to be sure. Liverpool were outthought and outfought, a common theme that must not be given another through line over the winter months, with the Reds sat in eighth place and already such a far cry away from table-topping Arsenal.
Despite the record-breaking summer of spending, Liverpool need some more attacking inspiration from out wide.
It was a mistake not to directly replace Luis Diaz after his £66.5m move to Bayern Munich, but sporting director Richard Hughes is now looking to rectify that.
Liverpool chasing Semenyo upgrade
It has emerged this week that Bournemouth talisman Antoine Semenyo has a £65m release clause. The versatile Ghanaian forward’s buyout option will diminish further at the end of the campaign.
Liverpool are among the frontrunners for his signature, though Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have also been credited with an interest.
Competition will be thick, and according to Spanish sources, Liverpool have earmarked an alternative who might actually prove an upgrade on Semenyo in Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior.
It is claimed that, with the 25-year-old currently in the penultimate year of his Los Blancos contract and without a renewal in sight, suitors such as Liverpool smell blood, with the Reds believed to be willing to submit an £88m offer to prise him away from Spain.
Vinicius Jr is one of the finest forwards in the world, and he would certainly be worth chasing over Semenyo, even at a more expensive outlay.
How Vinicius Junior compares to Semenyo in 2025/26
Semenyo is a special athlete, and he has been one of the Premier League’s most dangerous players under Andoni Iraola’s wing at Bournemouth this season.
However, Vinicius Jr is among the finest in the world, and the murmurs of discontent at Real Madrid suggest a transfer to a club such as Liverpool might not be as far-fetched as it might seem.
Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti said that his protege is “unstoppable” when on his A-game, and with 111 goals and 87 assists across 338 senior showings with Real Madrid, this certainly looks to be the case.
This is a man who is made for the big moments, having scored in two successful Champions League finals at Madrid.
He is a cut above someone like Semenyo, who is endowed with such athleticism and pace and power across both wings, but lacks the proof of elite-level performances that Vini has been producing since he burst onto the scene as a teenager.
It would not be unfair to say that Real Madrid’s mercurial winger has been out of sorts this season, and yet he has still maintained a level that would be considered top-notch for most other players.
Matches (starts)
11 (11)
12 (10)
Goals
6
5
Assists
3
4
Shots (on target)*
2.1 (1.3)
2.8 (1.3)
Big chances missed
5
5
Accurate passes
19.8 (77%)
28.4 (82%)
Chances created*
1.0
2.3
Succ. dribbles*
1.9
2.5
Tackles*
1.6
1.3
Duels won*
6.5
6.0
This is Vinicius Jr we are talking about. This is a player that Liverpool knows well.
Described as “the best player in the world” by his Real teammate Jude Bellingham, the South American would light the Premier League up and offer a new dimension to Slot’s Liverpool team.
Semenyo would also be a fine addition, but Vinicius Jr is quite simply on another level.
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ByAngus Sinclair