Antoine Semenyo wants Bournemouth future resolved by opening day of January window as Cherries brace for late twist in transfer saga
Antoine Semenyo wants his Bournemouth future resolved by the opening day of the January transfer window as Cherries are bracing for a late twist in the transfer saga. The Ghanaian winger is in the midst of a transfer tug of war with a number of Premier League sides hoping to lure the Bournemouth ace away from the Vitality Stadium next month.Semenyo was wanted by Premier League pair Manchester United and Tottenham over the summer, but the duo opted to follow up their respective interest in Bryan Mbeumo and Mohammed Kudus, with the Ghana international staying at the Vitality Stadium and signing a five-year deal on the south coast side to tie him down until 2030. However, the contract contained a £65m release that is active next month - until January 10th - to give Bournemouth time to secure a replacement for their prized asset in the New Year. Semenyo has made a fine start to the Premier League season, having scored eight goals and laid on an additional three assists for Andoni Iraola's side. That form attracted interest from Premier League giants Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea, while United and Spurs were also briefly in the running for the Ghanaian. It does look as though City will win the £65m race for Semenyo, with the Cityzens expected to firm up their interest in the Bournemouth sensation in the coming days.Despite Semenyo being strongly linked with a move away from Bournemouth, Cherries head coach Andoni Iraola wants his star player to stay back at the club beyond the January transfer window. The Bournemouth boss did little to hide how highly he values Semenyo, reiterating his wish to keep the attacker at the club for as long as circumstances allow. Speaking to reporters, Iraola said: "No, the more games Antoine can play for us, [the better]. If he can play years for us, it's much better! If it cannot be years, it can be months. If he can only play weeks, it is weeks but the more time he plays with us, the better for us." The Spaniard underlined how central Semenyo is to his side, even on difficult afternoons, as he added: "Antoine's situation is quite clear. Antoine is a massive player for us and even in games like today where probably he hasn't played well, he is always a threat to score and assist."Obviously, I don't want to lose him. This is quite clear, but there are some situations that are not under my control. He will be available to play again in three days [versus Chelsea] and then the next one and I hope he plays a lot more with us."Looking for smarter football bets? Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Join our growing community now!BBC Sport now reports that Semenyo is desperate to resolve his future by the first day of the January transfer window, as he wants clarity on his situation. Several English giants are competing to secure his transfer, although Manchester City are only club who have formally approached the Bournemouth management. The report adds that while the player wants a decision as early as possible, Bournemouth would ideally want to keep Semenyo at the club at least for their first two matches in the New Year against Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur before they release him to complete his transfer. Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reportingAccording to journalist David Ornstein, Arsenal missed the opportunity to sign Semenyo as they would have been the player's first choice had they formally offered Bournemouth a deal. Ornstein claimed: "There is a feeling Arsenal would have ranked as his first choice had they been firmly at the table, although many tipped Liverpool to prevail given their stuttering title defence, the uncertainty around Mohamed Salah, and Anfield sporting director Richard Hughes having originally recruited him to Bournemouth. Tottenham tried again, proposing a highly competitive salary, only for Semenyo to politely decline their advances and that resulted in City and United then emerging as the leading contenders."
Antoine Semenyo wants his Bournemouth future resolved by the opening day of the January transfer window as Cherries are bracing for a late twist in the transfer saga. The Ghanaian winger is in the midst of a transfer tug of war with a number of Premier League sides hoping to lure the Bournemouth ace away from the Vitality Stadium next month.Semenyo was wanted by Premier League pair Manchester United and Tottenham over the summer, but the duo opted to follow up their respective interest in Bryan Mbeumo and Mohammed Kudus, with the Ghana international staying at the Vitality Stadium and signing a five-year deal on the south coast side to tie him down until 2030. However, the contract contained a £65m release that is active next month - until January 10th - to give Bournemouth time to secure a replacement for their prized asset in the New Year. Semenyo has made a fine start to the Premier League season, having scored eight goals and laid on an additional three assists for Andoni Iraola's side. That form attracted interest from Premier League giants Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea, while United and Spurs were also briefly in the running for the Ghanaian. It does look as though City will win the £65m race for Semenyo, with the Cityzens expected to firm up their interest in the Bournemouth sensation in the coming days.Despite Semenyo being strongly linked with a move away from Bournemouth, Cherries head coach Andoni Iraola wants his star player to stay back at the club beyond the January transfer window. The Bournemouth boss did little to hide how highly he values Semenyo, reiterating his wish to keep the attacker at the club for as long as circumstances allow. Speaking to reporters, Iraola said: "No, the more games Antoine can play for us, [the better]. If he can play years for us, it's much better! If it cannot be years, it can be months. If he can only play weeks, it is weeks but the more time he plays with us, the better for us." The Spaniard underlined how central Semenyo is to his side, even on difficult afternoons, as he added: "Antoine's situation is quite clear. Antoine is a massive player for us and even in games like today where probably he hasn't played well, he is always a threat to score and assist."Obviously, I don't want to lose him. This is quite clear, but there are some situations that are not under my control. He will be available to play again in three days [versus Chelsea] and then the next one and I hope he plays a lot more with us."Looking for smarter football bets? Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Join our growing community now!BBC Sport now reports that Semenyo is desperate to resolve his future by the first day of the January transfer window, as he wants clarity on his situation. Several English giants are competing to secure his transfer, although Manchester City are only club who have formally approached the Bournemouth management. The report adds that while the player wants a decision as early as possible, Bournemouth would ideally want to keep Semenyo at the club at least for their first two matches in the New Year against Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur before they release him to complete his transfer. Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reportingAccording to journalist David Ornstein, Arsenal missed the opportunity to sign Semenyo as they would have been the player's first choice had they formally offered Bournemouth a deal. Ornstein claimed: "There is a feeling Arsenal would have ranked as his first choice had they been firmly at the table, although many tipped Liverpool to prevail given their stuttering title defence, the uncertainty around Mohamed Salah, and Anfield sporting director Richard Hughes having originally recruited him to Bournemouth. Tottenham tried again, proposing a highly competitive salary, only for Semenyo to politely decline their advances and that resulted in City and United then emerging as the leading contenders."
