Liverpool handed unexpected motivation to sign Antoine Semenyo in January transfer

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Liverpool continue to be linked with a move for in-form Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo ahead of the January transfer windowLiverpool have grown accustomed to losing some of their star players mid-season to the Africa Cup of Nations in recent years. Getting underway on December 21, he will miss at least three Reds matches as a result.But should the Pharaohs progress all the way to the final, taking place in Rabat on January 18, he would be likely to miss as many as seven Liverpool games.READ MORE: Alexander Isak makes 'frustrating' admission as Liverpool striker offers new injury updateREAD MORE: I know how Giorgi Mamardashvili feels at Liverpool because the same thing happened to meWhile Salah has not been at his best for Arne Slot’s underperforming side so far this season, his absence will still be felt sternly - especially given the fact that trips to both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal coincide with this season’s AFCON finals.Of course, it is not the first time that Liverpool have had to make-do without Salah mid-season though, with the Egyptian also absent for a number of games in both 2021 and 2023.

The Reds also had to make do without Sadio Mane and Naby Keita in the former edition of the finals, held in Cameroon, while the Senegalese also departed mid-season to compete at the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon in 2017.Prior to that, Liverpool were left without Kolo Toure mid-season in 2015 and Oussama Assaidi in 2013 due to their own participation in the tournament.And while the absence of the fringe Moroccan hardly stung Brendan Rodgers’ Reds - he only ever made four Premier League appearances for the club - it is fair to say that Liverpool have had more of a vested interest in keeping a close eye at goings-on at the tournament over the past decade.The Reds will not be the only side in the English top-flight side stung by losing players mid-season to this season’s Africa Cup of Nations though.Man City (Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri) and Manchester United (Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui) will both be affected also, while Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers are also poised to see some of their players compete.AFC Bournemouth are too, though not star man Antoine Semenyo. The forward is a Ghana international, but the Black Stars surprisingly failed to qualify for the continental tournament, having finished bottom of the qualifying group, for the first time since 2004 and only the second time since 1990.Having reached at least the semi-finals in eight of the last 16 editions of the competition in which they qualified for, it is a rare sight to not even see them compete at the finals.But it means the Cherries will be free to rely on the services of the in-form Semenyo throughout the Premier League festive period and into the New Year.However, as the 25-year-old continues to be linked with a big-money move to a number of leading Premier League sides, Ghana’s absence from the Africa Cup of Nations would give interested clubs extra motivation to explore a mid-season switch for Semenyo.Liverpool are one such club who are said to be monitoring the forward, with it previously reported as far back as last season that he had been considered as a possible long-term successor to Salah.Should the Reds wish to make a mid-season move for the Ghanaian, they would be boosted by the knowledge that he would not miss any matches due to AFCON this season.As a result, Ghana’s absence from the tournament would also open the door for transfer negotiations to be held throughout the January transfer window, rather than having to wait for Semenyo’s international exploits to come to an end.Admittedly, it remains to be seen if Liverpool will look to bolster their ranks in January and if they will act on reported interest in the forward - who was signed by Reds sporting director Richard Hughes during his own time in the same role at the Vitality Stadium back in January 2023.Semenyo started his professional career with Bristol City, impressing in the Championship prior to being snapped up in a £10m deal by Bournemouth.

Born in Chelsea, he qualifies as homegrown as a result despite being a Ghana international.But such a status would also prove attractive to the Reds, after Liverpool only named five genuine first-team homegrown players in their Premier League squad at the start of the season.While Rhys Williams and Fabian Mrozek bolstered their numbers, they were limited to a 24-man squad as a result after seeing a deadline day move for Marc Guehi collapse.Meanwhile, the Reds also only named locally trained players in their Champions League squad after being limited to a 22-man quota, and had to leave out Federico Chiesa as a result.While the Italian earned a reprieve under new UEFA regulations after Giovanni Leoni suffered a season-ending ACL injury, Liverpool’s hands had still been tied by squad registration rules.Liverpool knocks 50% off kits and merchThis article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. From the eight remaining berths, reserved exclusively for locally trained players, no club may have more than four association-trained players listed among those places.Semenyo would class as association-trained and, hypothetically, join Jeremie Frimpong and Freddie Woodman in occupying such places.Should Liverpool progress to the Champions League knockout phase, they would be able to register a maximum of three new players to their squad.As a result, Semenyo would be free to be added to their ranks - and without the need for removing any other players - if they were to sign the forward in January.Consequently, such factors would make a move for the 25-year-old more attractive if he is indeed on the Reds’ radar.