Alexander Isak injury update could trigger Liverpool transfer move but Man City has other ideas

Liverpool could be without Alexander Isak for a lengthy spell after the Swedish forward injured his leg in the act of scoring the opening goal against Tottenham in the Premier League

Liverpool striker Alexander Isak has suffered an injury(Image: Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)

Liverpool is yet to discover the full extent of Alexander Isak's injury, but it didn't look good for the Swede. Limping off after scoring against Tottenham, it had the feel of a lengthy issue.

The fear is that Isak might have suffered some serious damage to his left leg. And given Liverpool already has lots of other injury problems at the moment, Arne Slot's roster is looking a little light.

For next weekend's game with Wolves, Liverpool could be without not only Isak but also Cody Gakpo (muscle) and Mohamed Salah (AFCON), among others. Dominik Szoboszlai is set to be suspended after picking up a fifth caution.

While any transfer move that Liverpool makes is with the long-term in mind, there is an argument that it might have to accelerate its summer plans to January.

Liverpool has been prepared to do so in the past, bringing in Luis Diaz half a year earlier than expected, for instance, when Tottenham and others came to the table for him in the winter window of 2022.

The Reds have been put forward as an option for the Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, alongside both Manchester teams, Arsenal, Spurs, and others. Manchester City, according to The Telegraph, is the leading contender as things stand.

Antoine Semenyo is currently linked with Liverpool and the club's rivals(Image: Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)

It remains to be seen whether Liverpool sees the Ghanaian as a good-value option for his $87 million (£65 million) release clause, but the feeling appears to be that Semenyo will be moving somewhere early in 2026.

Center-back, of course, remains an area for Liverpool to strengthen after the Reds missed out on Marc Guehi at the end of September.

Young summer arrival, Giovanni Leoni, who turns 19 today, has a long-term injury, and Ibrahima Konate is set to be out of contract in the summer as things stand.

It is in attack where there are more immediate issues, though, even if the return of Gakpo — whose injury is not as bad as first feared — will help, and Salah will only be away for a relatively short period.

Having lost Diaz and not really replaced him, that spot in the team is one that could be upgraded, even though Liverpool doesn't want to block the pathway for Rio Ngumoha.

Salah, while he will come back from AFCON, will not be around in the long term either, given that he is 33 and has shown signs of decline over the last few months.

While Liverpool spent big in the summer and brought in some top players, it will have to go again in 2026 when it comes to bringing stars in. The question is whether that waits until the end of the season or can be fast-forwarded to before.