Bournemouth‘s Antoine Semenyo has reportedly made clear his preference is to join Man City in January, with Liverpool claimed to have decided against a £65 million deal.
Semenyo is the most widely coveted player heading into the January transfer window, with clubs aware that he can be signed for £65 million due to a release clause in his contract.
Liverpool were among those to hold an interest along with Tottenham, Chelsea and Man United.
But according to The Athletic‘s David Ornstein, the 25-year-old has now decided on a move to Man City, though a transfer is not yet agreed.
Antoine Semenyo to Man City: A quick look
• City bound: Antoine Semenyo has reportedly chosen Man City as his preferred destination to boost his trophy-winning chances.
• LFC opt out: Liverpool reportedly decided not to pursue the forward weeks ago, with their last contact dating back to November.
• Future Targets: Liverpool could revisit previous interest in Bradley Barcola or Rodrygo rather than move for the Bournemouth man.
Ornstein reports that Semenyo’s “desire to win trophies” has motivated his preference for Pep Guardiola’s side, who would clearly boost their chances of winning this season’s Premier League by bringing in the Ghana forward.
Liverpool ‘decided against’ Antoine Semenyo transfer
2YYJHG0 Antoine Semenyo of Bournemouth celebrates his goal to make it 0-3 during the Premier League match Manchester United vs Bournemouth at Old Trafford, Manchester, United Kingdom, 22nd December 2024 (Photo by Craig Thomas/News Images)
This comes with talkSPORT’s Alex Crook reporting on X that Liverpool “decided not to pursue a move a while back,” with a number of sources claiming their most recent contact was in November.
Liverpool were believed to have discussed personal terms with Semenyo, to outline the framework of a deal that would need to be finalised in the first two weeks of January.
But it appears as though they could either pursue alternative targets or keep faith in their current attacking options despite a long-term injury to Alexander Isak.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola and Real Madrid‘s Rodrgyo were named as possible targets in the summer but it remains to be seen if they will be further assessed.
At the time it was decided that Liverpool would not sign another left winger following the sale of Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich to avoid blocking the pathway of Rio Ngumoha.
However speaking in his pre-Wolves press conference on Tuesday, Arne Slot explained his reluctance to overexpose the 17-year-old.
“I think he has the most minutes of all 17-year-olds in the Premier League. So that tells you how much playing time he gets, how special that already is for a 17-year-old,” Slot told reporters.
“That also tells you something about his quality, because it’s not completely normal for a 17-year-old already to have as much playing time as he had.
“But it also tells you something about the availability in those areas. For the weekend that position’s not my biggest concern, I would say.
“So hopefully Cody is back, not sure but hopefully, Federico can play there, Florian can play there, so if he would be a player in a different position he would probably have even more chance to come in.”
Have Your Say
With Semenyo seemingly City-bound and Isak sidelined, which forward should Liverpool target in January?
Would you prefer a massive move for Rodrygo or Bradley Barcola, or is there another target in mind?
Let us know your top choice in the comments below.