Manchester United may have a secret weapon in the race to land Antoine Semenyo after Luke Littler demanded they beat Liverpool to his signature. The winger follows Littler on social media and the teenage star has quipped that it's now up to Old Trafford's recruitment team to seal the deal.
The reigning world darts champion has called on United to activate Semenyo's's release clause, believed to be around £65million this January. It comes as manager Ruben Amorim faces a selection crisis, with both Amad and Bryan Mbeumo preparing to link up with their national squads for the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco next month. Noussair Mazraoui will also be required for international duty, with tournament rules requiring clubs to release players a fortnight before their opening fixtures.
This means the trio could depart around the time of United's fixture against Wolves in early December, although reports indicate the club are trying to postpone their departures.
Littler took to Instagram with a series of stories addressing the potential loss of Amad and Mbeumo. The 18-year-old shared a clip, captioned, 'The solution to our AFCON worries?', featuring footage of the United duo celebrating before showcasing highlights of Semenyo's strikes.
The darts sensation wrote: "Activate the release clause, gonna miss Amad and Mbeumo massively."
He posted a screenshot of his notifications on the social media platform revealing Semenyo had followed him back, adding: "Step one. I've done my job, now it's down to you Reds."
Reports indicate that Semenyo – also linked with Liverpool – features on United's list of potential signings. Bournemouth have 'reluctantly accepted' they might have to part with the 25-year-old before the January window closes, according to The Athletic.
Semenyo, who penned a new deal with the Cherries last summer running until 2030, reportedly has a £65m release clause written into his contract, although there's a deadline to enable Bournemouth to secure a suitable replacement.
Littler's public plea arrives with the January window less than a month away, and the prospect of losing two vital players from Amorim's squad until January 17 at the earliest.
Currently, they're set to be unavailable for fixtures against Newcastle United and Wolves, but may also sit out earlier meetings with Bournemouth and Aston Villa.
Should the Ivory Coast and Cameroon advance deep into the tournament, the pair could miss matches against Leeds, Burnley, the FA Cup third round tie and the Manchester derby against City.
Amorim confirmed earlier this month that talks would be held with the relevant federations. He stated: "We have the rules for when we have to release the players [but] we are trying to have the players a bit longer.
"It is not just in our hands. We will see. We will try to arrange something with the federations."