Antoine Semenyo’s time as a Bournemouth player looks like it’ll be coming to an end in January, and his final destination is set to be Manchester City.
A rumoured £65 million release clause has done nothing to put off potential suitors, with Bournemouth seemingly left with no option but to accept losing their talismanic midfielder once the January transfer window opens.
Antoine Semenyo Next Club Betting Odds
The battle for Antoine Semenyo swung one way and then the next, as the 25 year old Ghanaian was initially said to have shunned a move to Tottenham.
Liverpool showed an interest, as they start to think about a long-term replacement for Mo Salah, but that interest didn’t materialise into anything concrete.
Tuesday saw Chelsea enter the fray, after respected journalist David Ornstein said, “Chelsea have made an initial enquiry about signing Bournemouth attacker Antoine Semenyo in January. Chelsea had planned to sign a new forward in the summer but have contacted Semenyo’s camp about the conditions of a deal, with a view to potentially accelerating their plans to January.”
UK betting sites reacted accordingly, with bet365 slashing the likelihood of Chelsea swooping in from 20/1 to just 2/1.
However any excitement Blues fans may have felt proved short-lived, as Ornstein’s latest update on Tuesday evening signalled it was Manchester City who had moved into pole position in the race for Semenyo.
Posting on X, Ornstein wrote, “Antoine Semenyo’s preference is to join Man City in January. Nothing formal until market opens, but Bournemouth attacker favours Man City. Man Utd pushed hard and never planned to use 25yo at wing-back, but winter switch was always tough.”
Fellow journalist Fabrizio Romano was singing from the same hymn sheet by this point, also heading to X to state that, “Manchester City are progressing to complete deal for Antoine Semenyo in next days. As revealed, City have been pushing in last 12 hours to accelerate in talks. Semenyo indicated Man City as favourite destination despite Man United trying hard, and Chelsea/Spurs out of the race.”
With Ornstein and Romano in agreement, bookmakers were left with little option but to suspend betting on Semenyo’s future club.
Why are so many clubs interested in Semenyo?
Semenyo had an electrifying start to the season, scoring five goals and picking up three assists in his first seven Premier League games. Since then he has managed three more goals and although his scoring is not as consistent as it was at the start of the season, there is no doubting his world class ability. He would be a good signing for any ‘Big 6’ club that wants him.
Man United, Liverpool and Man City are the favourites out of the ‘Big 6’ clubs to sign Semenyo and all these clubs would suit the player. Manchester United could use a stronger squad as inconsistent results are proving that they still have a lot of work to do. Meannwhile, Liverpool could allow Mohamed Salah to leave in January and Manchester City are crying out for another top winger.
Signing someone like Semenyo would help alleviate some of the pressure around Manchester United and Liverpool as they have key attackers like Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Mohamed Salah missing due to the African Cup of Nations.
Does Semenyo have a release clause?
Yes, it has been heavily reported by the likes of The Athletic journalist David Ornstein that Semenyo does indeed have a release clause. Semenyo’s contract includes a £65m release clause, and the release clause is available to all clubs. The one bonus for Bournemouth is that it must be triggered by a set date, so he can’t leave on Transfer Deadline Day. The release clause is £65m now, but is £50m in the summer.
