Adeyemi pushed towards Liverpool by Champions League draw
Karim Adeyemi of Red Bull Salzburg promises to be one of the hottest properties of the January transfer window, with the likes of Liverpool, Dortmund and Bayern Munich all linked with the Germany attacker.
The 19-year-old netted three times in the Champions League group stages as Salzburg battled through thanks to a Matchday 6 win over Sevilla, while he has scored 14 goals in 17 Austrian Bundesliga fixtures.
Already capped three times by his nation, Adeyemi is ready to follow in the footsteps of Erling Haaland and Patson Daka by leaving the Austrian side for one of Europe’s major destinations.
Liverpool’s hopes of securing a January deal for the forward, though, have been boosted by the Champions League draw.
Pitted against Bayern Munich, Salzburg will surely not sell their biggest talent to their forthcoming European opponents. Meanwhile, Dortmund’s absence from the last 16 is a blow to their credibility, providing the Reds with a window of opportunity to move.
The timing would be ideal for Liverpool. After all, they will be deprived of key players Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane during January because of the Africa Cup of Nations. Presently, they lack depth in the forward areas and Adeyemi could slot in.
Whether the player himself wants to move, though, is more debatable.
Adeyemi on January transfer speculation
“As is so often the case, nothing is decided yet and, as I have said, I'll also be at Salzburg next year, and that's where my focus is on,” he said after scoring his first senior hat-trick at the weekend against WSG Tirol – a match he played just 45 minutes in.
"As I have said, I have no tendency. My mind is here at Salzburg and I'm looking forward to the Champions League with Salzburg. We want to give our all there.”
Despite Adeyemi’s comments, though, if Liverpool were to make a serious offer to him, a switch would be sorely tempting.