Man City Closes In On £65M Antoine Semenyo Deal

Manchester City seems pretty close to making a big move. Reports say they’re in advanced talks to sign Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo. City plans to trigger his £65 million ($87m) release clause. And they want to do it before January 10. There are more discussions scheduled with his people too. This could be a huge Transfer for City.

The Semenyo Chase Gets Serious

Everyone knows the January transfer window is opening soon. And this Semenyo saga is heating up fast. Manchester City looks like they’re leading the race for the 25-year-old winger. Other big clubs were interested too. You know, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, and even Arsenal. But City appears to be ahead of the pack.

Transfer expert Ben Jacobs, speaking on talkSPORT, pretty much said the deal could be formalized in just 48 hours. City wants to move quickly. Jacobs called Semenyo “the best player outside of the top six in England.” That’s high praise. And a fan channel even claimed the deal is “very close.” It sounds like things are moving really fast here.

Iraola’s Mixed Messages and Pep’s Silence

Bournemouth’s head coach, Andoni Iraola, had some interesting things to say. After their 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Tuesday, he insisted Semenyo “has not played his last game” for the club. He expects Semenyo to play against Arsenal on January 3.

That’s despite Semenyo waving goodbye to fans after the Chelsea match. Iraola really stressed Semenyo’s importance. He said, “He will definitely play [against Arsenal]… This is not his last game.” It’s a bit confusing, right?

But then you have Pep Guardiola. The Manchester City manager kept things very quiet. At a Wednesday news conference, he refused to comment on the transfer. He just said, “I don’t know any news about anything right now… the transfer window is completely closed right now.” This is typical Pep. ESPN reported on his non-committal stance. He’s not giving anything away, that’s for sure.

January Window Opens, Big Deals Loom

The new year is almost here. And with it, the transfer window re-opens. Clubs will be looking to reinforce their squads. Summer spending was huge last year, over £3 billion in the Premier League. Mid-season windows usually don’t see as many massive deals. But it’s not totally out of the question. And the Semenyo situation proves that. Big clubs are always looking for that edge.

Antoine Semenyo’s £65 million release clause becomes active in January. That’s why City is moving now. It makes sense, really. The Independent also highlighted that Semenyo’s saga is expected to “reach its climax in the coming weeks or possibly days.” It’s going to be an exciting start to the year for sure. Other names like Marc Guehi and Mohamed Salah have been in the rumour mill too. But Semenyo is the one drawing all the attention right now.

What This Means for Semenyo and Bournemouth

If City triggers that clause, Semenyo’s time at Bournemouth could be really short. He’s been important for them. Iraola said as much. Losing him would be a pretty big blow for Bournemouth. Especially mid-season. They’d need to find a replacement quickly. For Semenyo, it’s a huge opportunity. A move to Manchester City is a massive step up for any player. It’s a chance to play for one of the world’s top clubs.

The clock is ticking until January 10. That’s when the clause expires. So, City has to act fast. It’s a high-stakes game, this transfer stuff. We’ll all be watching to see how this plays out. It seems like a done deal pretty soon, honestly. But in football, you never really know until it’s official.