Man Utd and Liverpool 'In Transfer Battle' Over Shock Championship Star

Manchester United and Liverpool are going head-to-head to sign one of the Championship’s hottest prospects.

The January transfer window promises to be another window of spending as clubs in the Premier League look to strengthen their ranks ahead of the second-half of the season.

Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City are all expected to be in the race to sign Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, who has a release clause that must be triggered before January 10.

Liverpool are also widely tipped to rekindle their interest in Marc Guehi after his move to Anfield collapsed at the last-minute during the summer window.

Semenyo might not be the only player both United and Liverpool are interested in the New Year if reports are to be believed.

Both clubs have shortlisted Sheffield Wednesday youngster Yisa Alao with United going one step further and submitting a bid of £450,000 for the 17-year-old left-back according to the Daily Mail.

Premier League clubs are believed to have sensed an opportunity with defender yet to sign professional terms with the Championship club who remain rooted to the bottom of the division on minus nine points following a series of deductions.

The left-back made his debut at 16 in the Carabao Cup and made his league debut at the start of December, replacing United loanee Harry Amass and Liverpool are believed to be weighing up a similar offer to United’s.

Yisa Alao of Sheffield Wednesday (Getty)

A cut-price deal for the young defender might appeal to Liverpool after manager Arne Slot admitted they do not have a bottomless pit of money in January after a summer of lavish spending.

The Merseyside club set two British transfer records with the signings of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz and forked out huge sums to bring Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong to Anfield.

With Guehi opting not to renew his contract at Crystal Palace, Slot admitted January spending is not guaranteed.

He said prior to the win against Spurs: “The outside world wants to believe we have unlimited money but that is not true.

“You insiders know – and you are the only ones because the outside world only talks about our spending – what we have brought in [money] to spend. That is the way we work over here.

“You then have to accept that in certain games during a season you are short of a right full-back. But we are still able to win. I fully believe in that way of working by the way.”