Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo is the talk of transfer window as January approaches, and Manchester United have emerged as the leading candidates to secure his signature.
After an electric start to the 2025/26 Premier League season, Antoine Semenyo has attracted interest from the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham. The Ghanaian has scored seven goals and recorded three assists in 15 appearances for Bournemouth this campaign, so it is no surprise that top clubs are fighting for his signature.
It is no secret that Semenyo’s current contract includes a £65 million release clause for this winter. According to The i Paper, “United are one of four clubs to have formally opened talks with Antoine Semenyo over a £65m winter window move, but they must wrap up a deal with Bournemouth by 10 January to secure the in-demand winger.”
The article also claims that United are “now seen as the frontrunners having missed out on bringing Semenyo to Old Trafford in the summer.”
The i Paper also revealed that “while the fee is set at £60m plus £5m add-ons, there will need to be negotiation over the payment terms, which are not set out in the clause.”
This is largely due to Bournemouth’s need to sign a replacement, which will not be easy midway through the season. The deal being completed in the opening ten days of January will give them chance to sign a replacement by the end of the month but it is unclear how much of the fee clubs will be required to pay up front.
There have been many reports that United would look to save their transfer business for the summer but it now looks like they are ready to move sooner to secure one of their top targets. The Reds missed out on Semenyo in the summer, instead signing Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo in similar positions, but the club now seem keen to bolster Ruben Amorim‘s attacking options.
Amorim impressed by “special” Semenyo
When speaking about Bournemouth in his pre-match press conference, Amorim said “they have a special player. They have many good players, but they have a special player in Semenyo. [He] can play both sides with both feet.”
Amorim is clearly a big fan and it is thought that Semenyo would be utilised as a wing-back or winger in his 3-4-3 system. There have been rumours of a system change at Old Trafford, but Amorim has hinted before that he is keen to add a player of a similar profile to Amad, who can play more predominantly on the left-hand side.
This season, Amorim has flipped between using Diogo Dalot and Patrick Dorgu as the left wing-back, although it seems Dalot has been favoured in recent weeks. Despite improving results this season, it is clear that United struggle to adapt in-game and the lack of natural wide forwards is a huge contributor to this. Because of this, it is no surprise United are looking to strengthen this position.
Semenyo’s qualities would make him a valuable option for any team. He is comfortable on either side, powerful when running at players and his output has become devastating over the last few seasons.
Semenyo would improve United’s attack
Adding a natural winger to the side would give Amorim more options to adapt in-game, for example, against teams who play a deeper block or when United are in need of a goal. Semenyo has proven his quality in the Premier League and he has the ideal characteristics to suit United’s style.
An early deal could bring an instant impact to United, which will be much-needed as players such as Amad and Mbuemo have briefly left the squad due to AFCON. Although Semenyo is a regular for Ghana, he will be ready and available given that Ghana failed to qualify for the tournament this time around.
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Although signing one of the league’s most exciting players in January would be great business, spending £65 million on another attacker would not be the priority for many fans. The midfield is an obvious issue for the team, with all four of the club’s midfielders facing uncertain futures. The news comes in a week where Bruno Fernandes has hinted at a potential move and Kobbie Mainoo‘s brother has decided to start a T-shirt campaign against the manager.
United have a shortlist of midfield targets for the summer, including Carlos Baleba, Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton. However, mid-season reinforcements feel very necessary at this moment in time and the club have been linked with the likes of Conor Gallagher and Ruben Neves. United’s interest has been documented leading up to January but it seems unlikely that the club would spend big on two major signings this winter.
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