Arne Slot admission spells trouble for Tottenham's Antoine Semenyo transfer hopes

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Tottenham remain keen on Bournemouth attacker Antoine Semenyo after they made an enquiry for the Ghana international in the summer window

Tottenham remain attentive to Antoine Semenyo's situation after it emerged the Ghana international has a £65million release clause that will be active in January.

An initial £60m payment plus £5m in bonuses would be enough to prise the Cherries talisman away from the Vitality Stadium, though Spurs will face stiff competition for his signature.

Liverpool and Manchester City are also in the mix and Tottenham, who are still weighing up their January plans, will want to avoid further transfer embarrassment after missing out on Eberechi Eze to rivals Arsenal.

However, Reds boss Arne Slot appeared to drop a clear clue on Friday that Liverpool would be keen on a deal for Semenyo and that could spell trouble for Tottenham's hopes of landing the explosive 25-year-old.

The Dutchman was asked about whether Liverpool would be actively pursuing the signing of a new central defender in January and his response indicated they have other priorities.

Slot said ahead of facing Nottingham Forest: "This is one of the questions I didn't expect, talking about signings and the winter break! I think there are so many games to play before that.

"And the position we are in, it is the last thing that is on my mind. Maybe not on Richard's [Hughes] but it is the last thing on my mind. It is not a topic for me at the moment.

"We have at this moment in time three centre-backs, with Joe Gomez included of course. And maybe Ryan [Gravenberch] and Wata [Endo] who can play in the positions.

"Maybe you are not aware of it yet but we have other positions, at the moment, which is a bit more of an issue."

Liverpool are still yet to replace Bayern Munich star Luis Diaz. There is huge belief in young starlet Rio Ngumoha but there has been over-reliance on Cody Gakpo so far this season.

Semenyo would certainly freshen up the Reds' attacking options and it's also clear Mohamed Salah will not be around forever.

Nonetheless, Tottenham do have one ace up their sleeve that may give them an extra edge over Liverpool and Manchester City; they can offer the Ghanaian regular minutes.

Spurs are still starved of a top-level left-winger and it's clear Semenyo would immediately become a key player in N17.

But if Liverpool do formalise their interest, or City, some may argue that it will be difficult for Tottenham to compete with two sides that are frequently competing for the biggest prizes.