Isak's injury may have opened the door for Man City or Man Utd to sign Semenyo

Robin Bairner

• 22 Dec 2025 05:30 CST
• 3 min read

Nieuws

Alexander Isak’s injury has rocked Liverpool, who have been forced to take dramatic transfer action ahead of January.

Sweden international forward Isak suffered a “significant” injury while scoring the Reds’ opening goal against Tottenham in a 2-1 victory on Saturday, with Liverpool fearing that he faces months on the sidelines.

Isak is feared to have broken his leg, forcing the Reds to react in the market.

Liverpool have been quick to react to the problem and are bracing themselves to change their January plans should their worst fears over the €155 million striker be confirmed, according to the Telegraph.

Arne Slot’s side are ready to abandon their pursuit of Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, according to the report. This would leave the Ghana winger in a better position to sign for Manchester United or Manchester City.

“Should Isak’s injury prove serious, Liverpool may consider a pivot to other options with the cash that was available to trigger Semenyo’s exit clause,” it claims.

Liverpool’s Isak replacements

Semenyo’s January exit clause from Bournemouth is set at €74m (£65m), giving Liverpool a healthy kitty to go into the market in January.

The Reds have already shown a willingness to splash big money on players, having spent a record €470m during the summer, breaking the Premier League transfer record twice by signing Florian Wirtz and Isak in what was an unprecedented window.

Despite this spend, it appears that Liverpool feel they will be left short in the centre-forward position if they do not replace Isak with a like-for-like player. Hugo Ekitike has outperformed the Swede since he made a €90m summer switch from Eintracht Frankfurt but the 23-year-old will not be left to carry the can in attack alone.

Presently in the Liverpool squad, the obvious options to play No.9 beyond Ekitike are limited to Federico Chiesa, who has struggled to win over Slot, and Cody Gakpo, who could play the role in a pinch.

The long-term repercussions for Isak and Liverpool of this injury blow are set to be significant.

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