Man City and Man Utd made formal enquiries about Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo at the start of this week, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said the Manchester rivals wanted to be better informed about the Ghanaian international’s buyout clause:
“Between Monday and Tuesday, some calls took place from Man United and from Manchester City to understand the situation of Semenyo – £65m release clause.”
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“So these three clubs all called – Liverpool already called in November but Liverpool are now assessing what they want to do in January, and also what’s going to happen with Mo Salah before deciding on Semenyo. So the situation is really interesting.”
“Many clubs into the race again. Tottenham are very aggressive on this one [too], but this depends on the player.”
Man City’s interest is being driven by Guardiola
It is believed that manager Pep Guardiola is keen to add a different type of winger to the first-team squad – someone more capable of scoring goals.
While the likes of Savinho, Jeremy Doku and Oscar Bobb can all contribute in the final third, they are not prolific. Semenyo, in contrast, has scored 7 goals and provided 3 assists so far this season.
Who is likeliest to trigger Semenyo’s release clause?
As Romano mentions, Liverpool are still weighing up their options. If Salah departs Anfield, they may pursue a different winger.
Tottenham are determined, but Semenyo himself is not thought to be keen on the switch. He is a self-confessed “Arsenal fan”.
United, meanwhile, are prioritising a move for a midfielder, so they may not have the funds to sign Semenyo as well, even though head coach Ruben Amorim has expressed his admiration for the player. It means City do have a good chance of securing the 25-year-old’s services next month.
Read more about the Man City First Team Squad for 2025/26 here