Liverpool have been told by former player John Barnes not to attempt sign Antoine Semenyo in the January transfer window as focus would be better spent elsewhere.

Reports of a ￡65m release clause which becomes active in January have many clubs looking at the 25-year-old after the best Premier League season of his career to date but the Anfield side are one of the most strongly linked to the Bournemouth player.

Semenyo, who will stay with Bournemouth after Ghana failed to qualify for AFCON, has been touted as a long-term replacement for Mohamed Salah but Barnes believes signing players in January is a fool’s business.

“January is not a time to sign players,” Barnes told the Mirror. “And if you look at what we have, we haven’t got a problem scoring goals and creating chances.

“We’ve got Gakpo, we’ve got Isak, we’ve got Wirtz, we still have Mo. We have Ngumoha. That is not a problem for us. So, of course, if you then feel that long-term you want him, but I don’t think January is a time to be signing players.”

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Barnes went on to suggest that signing players was not the answer to Liverpool’s problems after a shocking run of form has the champions and many’s predicted title-winners down in seventh.

Faced with the prospect of losing Semenyo to a rival like Manchester City, Barnes suggested the Liverpool squad was already good enough.

“I don’t know from Manchester City’s point of view, he comes, he’s going to play ahead of the boys who they have there. So, of course, this is, once again, paper talk. But from that point of view, he’s a very, very good player. But from Liverpool’s perspective, the solution to the problem isn’t just signing players.

“We signed ￡400m worth of players, didn’t we? So what, we’re going to sign some more now for ￡65m? And then if that doesn’t work, you’re going to sign another one for ￡100m in January? No, we have a good enough squad.

“He’s a good player. The club have to decide. I think we have problems in other positions that we need to look at before Semenyo. But that’s not me not saying that he’s a good player and if he comes to Liverpool, he would be welcomed.

“But I don’t know whether Man City are interested in him or Liverpool or anyone like that. But January, for me, is never a time to sign players.”

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