Liverpool can avoid Man Utd's Haaland mistake by sealing January transfer

Liverpool's unbeaten start to the new Premier League season continued on Saturday, as the Reds swept aside Crystal Palace 3-0 at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp's side moved to the top of the table with the three points and already hold a three-point advantage over title rivals Manchester City.

Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Naby Keita all found the back of the net against the Eagles, coincidentally, three of the players Liverpool will be without at the turn of the year.

The Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in January, leaving Klopp without a string of key first-team players.

But with all due respect to Keita, losing Mane and Salah is the biggest looming issue, with depth behind the front three scarce.

Liverpool will be without Sadio Mane in January ( Image:

AFP via Getty Images)

Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota are both competing for the same centre forward spot, but out wide, the starters are nailed on.

Both forwards have started the season in blistering form, with Salah on four goals and Mane on three.

The Liverpool boss has already hinted that the club could be active in the January window in order to cover for their absences.

"It depends on the situation in the squad at the moment. It's not ideal, everybody knows that.

"We knew it, we have to deal with it, and we will deal with it. How? We will have to see in January.

"People are saying now that we have to sign two strikers of the same quality as Sadio and Mo, but that cannot be a solution as we cannot do that. So we need to find a solution in January."

RB Salzburg forward Karim Adeyemi has been touted as a potential solution for Liverpool, with the 19-year-old forward already garnering interest from some of the top clubs in Europe.

Adeyemi has seven goals in 11 appearances across all competitions and wreaked havoc against Sevilla in the Champions League, winning three penalties.

RB Salzburg's Karin Adeyemi is a man in demand

Barcelona have also been linked, but reports in Spain claim they believe the striker is set to join RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.

That's the same path which Erling Haaland took at the end of 2019. Back then, the Norwegian was heavily tipped to join Manchester United, with Old Trafford bosses failing to strike an agreement.

Coming from the Austrian league, Borussia Dortmund were able to land the prolific Haaland for the paltry fee of €20m, a deal which in hindsight looks one of the biggest bargains in recent history.

If Adeyemi continues on his current trajectory and Liverpool don't snag him before a move to Germany, they could be left with a similar regret to their old rivals.