Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo is set to attract significant interest in the New Year, with several clubs pursuing the 25-year-old. Semenyo’s £65million release clause becomes active on January 1. However, ahead of Bournemouth’s game against Brentford, manager Andoni Iraola confirmed the player is not expected to leave imminently.
The versatile forward has eight goals in 16 Premier League games, including two in Bournemouth’s 4-2 defeat to Liverpool on the opening weekend. “Antoine Semenyo right now is with us,” said Iraola. “He has trained today with us, very well. “I understand that there is a lot of noise around Antoine. But my concern is that it doesn’t affect him, his performances and we are seeing that it is not affecting his performances.
“He is very committed to the team and I hope we can keep him there. “There are situations that we cannot control, but right now, Antoine is our player and he’s going to continue playing for us. If you ask me, I don’t want to lose him, definitely don’t want to lose him. But like we always say, every time the market opens, you never know what’s going to happen.”
Iraola added: “Antoine, for me, has been performing very well. Not just the last two games because he has scored. The level of consistency has been very good since the beginning of the season. “He has had moments where he hasn’t scored and has still been very valuable for us. At the end, we demand not only the numbers, but he gives us a lot of things. It’s no secret he is a massive player for us.”
According to BBC Sport, five clubs have made enquiries about the Ghanaian ahead of the winter transfer window, which opens on January 1. Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham, and now Chelsea are all understood to have shown interest, with the two Manchester clubs having held the most concrete discussions so far.
Liverpool have also explored the possibility of a deal for Semenyo, and their interest could intensify following Alexander Isak’s recent injury. Tottenham are considered outsiders for the Ghana international, who joined Bournemouth from Bristol City. Chelsea’s interest adds an intriguing late twist to the race for the forward. Semenyo has started considering his options ahead of the January transfer window as he looks to decide his future.
Andoni Iraola addresses Antoine Semenyo future
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