Bournemouth forward, Antoine Semenyo, has set his sights on a potential January move to Manchester City, with the opportunity to compete for major honours understood to be central to his thinking.
The Ghana international is keen on joining Pep Guardiola’s side, although no formal agreement has been reached, with the January transfer window yet to open.
Football transfer insider, Fabrizio Romano, revealed on X that Manchester City are moving closer to sealing a deal for Antoine Semenyo in the coming days.
“As revealed, City have been pushing in last 12h to accelerate in talks. Semenyo indicated #MCFC as favorite destination despite Man United trying hard + Chelsea/Spurs out of race,” Romano wrote.
According to The Athletic, Chelsea have opted not to pursue a deal for the 25-year-old after making an initial enquiry.
Manchester United also explored the possibility of signing Semenyo, but a mid-season move was considered unrealistic. United’s interest cooled primarily because the club only wanted players fully committed to joining, not due to Ruben Amorim’s tactical plans, with no intention to deploy Semenyo as a wing-back.
Tottenham Hotspur previously assessed a move for the forward during the summer, while Liverpool are also among several clubs reported to admire him.
Semenyo has been in impressive form during the 2025–26 Premier League season, registering eight goals and three assists in 16 appearances for Bournemouth.
His contract, which runs until 2030, includes a £65 million release clause that becomes active in January, a detail first revealed by The Athletic in November.
While Bournemouth valued the winger at around £70 million during the summer, the winter release clause fixes his price at £65 million.
The clause must be triggered within a specified window, allowing Bournemouth time to source a replacement. Should Semenyo remain at the club beyond January, the clause will be reactivated in the next transfer window at a reduced figure.
Bournemouth have not been strangers to high-profile departures in recent seasons. Following a successful 2024–25 campaign under Andoni Iraola, the club sanctioned several major exits, including Dean Huijsen’s move to Real Madrid after his £50 million clause was met.
Milos Kerkez, Illia Zabarnyi and Dango Ouattara were also sold, while Dominic Solanke departed a year earlier after Tottenham triggered his £65 million release clause.
Since joining from Bristol City in January 2023, Semenyo has made 106 appearances for Bournemouth, contributing 30 goals and 13 assists.
Guardiola’s most successful teams have typically featured dynamic wide attackers capable of beating defenders in one-on-one situations while delivering consistent goal output.
Although Jeremy Doku is showing signs of progress, Guardiola recently acknowledged that the Belgian is unlikely to become one of City’s primary goal threats. Savinho and Oscar Bobb are also still developing their end product.
With City yet to fully replace the attacking contributions once provided by Riyad Mahrez, Leroy Sané and Raheem Sterling, the burden has increasingly fallen on Erling Haaland.
Semenyo would offer City a more direct option from either flank, adding pace, power and counter-attacking threat.
As Manchester City continue to evolve as title challengers, the signing of a peak-age attacker like Semenyo would represent a significant statement, bringing in a proven Premier League performer capable of deciding matches at the highest level.
