**One pundit has remarkably claimed there could be a late “twist” in Manchester City’s pursuit of Antoine Semenyo, despite the player arriving for a medical on Thursday.**
Those comments have surfaced at a point where City believe they are in the closing stages of a deal that has been progressing steadily all week, with Bournemouth, the player, and Etihad officials aligned on a January transfer.
From City’s perspective, the Semenyo deal has been treated as a priority operation with Hugo Viana central to discussions and talks intensifying following Bournemouth’s acceptance of a structured proposal that avoided the need to formally trigger the player’s release clause.
Equally significant is the player’s own stance after previous reporting made clear Semenyo had identified City as his preferred destination, driven by the sporting project, Pep Guardiola’s involvement, and the opportunity to compete for major honours.
But speaking live on [Sky Sports](https://x.com/SkySportsPL/status/2009036895322358249?s=20) as part of the broadcaster’s Premier League coverage on Wednesday night, pundit Jamie Redknapp sensationally claimed that Antoine Semenyo’s Manchester City may not be a straightforward as it seems.
“Everyone thinks it’s a foregone conclusion, I’m not so sure. I’ve heard there might be a little bit of a twist still,” Redknapp boldly exclaimed live on air. “I think Liverpool could still be in the equation.”
Redknapp continued, “Why they \[Liverpool\] haven’t come in as strongly, I’m surprised because you look at that position with Mo Salah, how long he’s going to be at the club for, we don’t know.
“But if you’ve got a player of that quality, he’s a match-winner, turns up in the big moments, why wouldn’t you be in for him?!
“So I’m not saying it’s a Sky Sports breaking news moment, but all I’m saying is I’ve heard tonight it might not be the foregone conclusion everyone’s talking about and that he’s going to be having a medical at City. There might still be a little twist. I hope so!”
Those claims sit alongside the most recent and credible reporting on the matter with The Athletic’s David Ornstein outlining on Thursday morning that Manchester City and Bournemouth had already reached an agreement in principle on a deal worth £62.5 million guaranteed, plus bonuses, with Semenyo set to sign a five-and-a-half-year contract.
Moreover, the player’s actions strongly point towards an imminent conclusion, with Semenyo playing what had been described internally as his final game for Bournemouth on Wednesday night, scoring a dramatic 95th-minute winner in a 3-2 victory over Tottenham.
Within hours, the Ghana international had travelled north and landed in Manchester shortly before 9AM on Thursday morning ahead of finalising his move.
While Liverpool were previously noted as admirers and monitored the situation from a distance, there has been no indication of a late formal bid, nor any suggestion that Antoine Semenyo has deviated from his agreed path.
With a medical booked and paperwork already being drafted, Manchester City officials will ignore outside noise entirely, and expect a deal to be completed as planned, bringing an end to speculation and closing one of the January window’s most closely followed transfer stories.