Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo and Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo are among the players being scouted by Liverpool as they assess future targets who could play for Arne Slot.
Under the new leadership of Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes, Liverpool’s recruitment group is working hard to assess future talent, particularly in areas of the squad that may need replacement within the next twelve months.
Mohamed Salah is currently one of three top stars without a contract at the end of the season, along with Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold. While there is no definitive indication yet on their future, Liverpool are doing the sensible thing. and planning for different outcomes.
That could mean a need to sign a new striker and Semenyo is known to have signed Hughes from Bristol City to Bournemouth in 2023.
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Liverpool boss Arne Slot says contract negotiations are ongoing with Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah, but thinks it will only become a problem if they stop performing on the pitch
The 24-year-old has improved significantly on the south coast, especially since the arrival of Andoni Iraola as head coach. He scored five times in his last 14 Premier League appearances last season, and he has continued in that vein this season with three goals in nine.
Mbuemo, 25, has been even more prolific with eight Premier League goals in nine, and has been eyed by Liverpool for some time. Both players’ profiles share similarities with Salah, especially their ability to be dangerous anywhere in the front positions.
Heaven Germany have reported that 25-year-old Egyptian striker Oumar Marmoush from Stuttgart is another player Liverpool are looking at, but sources on Merseyside have refuted that he is of any importance to the club at the moment.
Antoine Semenyo has taken 31 shots and scored three goals this season
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Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo solves your dilemmas in The Playbook!
Head coach Slot again gave nothing away on Friday when asked for an update on the contract situations surrounding Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk, stating that discussions between the club and the trio are “ongoing”.
“For me, the contract situation could become a problem if the players do not perform as well as they are now,” said Slot. “It is of course not certain that if they no longer perform so well, this has something to do with their contract situation.
“Right now, all three of them are in a good place, they’re all performing very, very, very well and there are ongoing discussions, as Virgil said, with the people he needs to talk to, and that’s not me, as you I know I talk to him about other things.
“Let’s wait and see, but everything he said is completely correct, in the sense that he doesn’t know exactly what the future will be until he signs the contract.”