Liverpool January transfer window: What to expect, incomings and outgoings for Arne Slot's side

From fearing for their European status to forcing their way back into top-four contention, Liverpool are very much ending 2025 as they mean to go on and will chase a fifth straight win when they face Leeds United on New Year's Day.

The reigning champions entered the 19th gameweek of the season sitting fourth in the Premier League table, and their upturn in form has notably coincided with the absence of Mohamed Salah, striving for Africa Cup of Nations glory with Egypt.

The fallout from the 33-year-old's explosive rant in December could potentially spill over into the January transfer window, when it will be anybody's guess as to how busy the Reds will be after an unprecedented £450m summer spending spree.

The Anfield faithful will no doubt cry out for reinforcements after a turbulent start to 2025-26, especially in defence and attack, but only time will tell if Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards can work their magic again.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at what to expect from Liverpool in the January 2026 transfer window.

Liverpool 2026 January transfer window: Incomings

Formerly regarded as one of the leading contenders for Bournemouth wing wizard Antoine Semenyo, Liverpool appear to be on the verge of conceding defeat to Manchester City in the race for the £65m Ghanaian, who is edging closer to joining Pep Guardiola's side.

While there is no ink on the contract, there is the slightest chance that Liverpool could still pull off a sensational winter hijack, but all the signs are pointing towards Semenyo lining up in sky blue in 2026.

The Reds have supposedly wasted no time in identifying alternatives, though, and they are thought to have opened preliminary talks to sign Borussia Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi, who is poised to leave the German giants in the coming months.

Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola and Bayern Munich's Serge Gnabry have also been mentioned as potential January targets for the Reds, although the former would prove particularly pricey, and the latter is thought to be close to signing a contract extension.

It is not just out wide where Liverpool could search for attacking reinforcements, as Alexander Isak's injury has led to shock links with Barcola's PSG teammate Goncalo Ramos, who has been tipped to join the Reds on loan for the second half of the campaign.

However, the rearguard remains the number one priority for many Liverpool fans after the agonising Marc Guehi deadline-day collapse, but a deal for the Crystal Palace man is still seen as more likely for the summer window rather than the January market.

Guehi is rumoured to be just one of five defenders on Liverpool's shortlist, though, a selection that also comprises his teammate Maxence Lacroix, Brentford's Nathan Collins, Celta Vigo's Oscar Mingueza and Club Brugge's Joel Ordonez.

Brighton & Hove Albion's Jan Paul van Hecke is also rumoured to have attracted interest from the Premier League champions, but the Reds may need to tread carefully on the financial side.

Away from bona-fide 'transfers', Liverpool could strengthen their ranks with three loan returns; Owen Beck (Derby County) and James McConnell (Ajax) are expected to head back to Kirkby in January, while Harvey Elliott's Aston Villa nightmare should also be cut short.

Liverpool 2026 January transfer window: Outgoings

Whether he is in Morocco or Merseyside when the January transfer window gets into full swing, Salah's future will still be the talk of the town, as there are still believed to be tensions between himself, Slot and the club despite his swift re-integration.

The Egypt international will soon enter the last 18 months of the extension he penned in the summer, and if Liverpool decide that their club legend has outlived his usefulness, the Saudi Pro League could finally pull off their dream signing of all dream signings.

Liverpool's upturn in fortunes without Salah suggests that his time may be up, but at the time of writing, neither the Reds nor the player are said to be making serious plans for his departure in the January transfer window.

However, one of Salah's deputies - Federico Chiesa - could be tempted back to Italy while he remains on the fringes of Slot's first team, whom he has started just one Premier League game for in the 2025-26 campaign.

One Serie A side are said to be pushing for the 28-year-old's services next month, and if he is to have any hope of a possible World Cup call-up with Italy - who will compete in March's playoffs - an Anfield exit must surely materialise.

Young midfielder Trey Nyoni is supposedly a candidate for a loan exit too, but with Wataru Endo and the seldom-seen Stefan Bajcetic both injured, weakening the midfield may be the last thing on Slot's mind.

The same goes for the Reds' backline, but the forgotten man Rhys Williams has only played 333 minutes for the Under-21s this season, and it is surely only a matter of time before the 2020-21 hero moves elsewhere in search of senior football.

Liverpool's expected loan returnees - McConnell, Beck and Elliott - may be given the green light to leave temporarily again too, but Chiesa and Salah's potential departures could open the door for the latter to reignite his Reds career.