Manchester United and Tottenham have both seen £50m bids for a red-hot forward knocked back, and Liverpool are looking to beat both sides to the punch.
Unsurprisingly, it’s Erling Haaland who leads the way in top scorers chart in the Premier League this season with 11. Tied second with six goals are Brentford’s Igor Thiago and Antoine Semenyo of Bournemouth.
Semenyo, 25, has also provided three assists and it’s becoming increasingly clear his long-term future lays away from the south coast.
According to the latest from The Telegraph, both Man Utd and Tottenham tabled bids worth £50m for Semenyo over the summer.
The offers were knocked back and per the report, Semenyo was perfectly okay with spending at least one more season with the Cherries.
Explaining why, it was noted part of the club’s strategy in the transfer market and when negotiating with stars is they make it crystal clear the player can use the club as a springboard to bigger and better things.
It was a tactic the club used when convincing Semenyo to sign a new contract in the summer rather than leave. The new deal also saw a release clause inserted into the terms.
Man Utd are Tottenham are still monitoring the right-footer closely. However, there are growing suggestions Semenyo’s future lays at Anfield…
What four sources are saying about Semenyo to Liverpool
The i paper recently stated Liverpool are huge admirers of Semenyo who is equally adept at playing off the left or right. They also stated the Reds could ‘push the button’ on a January move.
That report was followed by a spectacular update from an admittedly unreliable source that claimed Semenyo wants to join Liverpool above all other suitors.
The Daily Mail’s Merseyside correspondent, Lewis Steele, then shed further light on the situation.
‘Bournemouth would demand north of £75million for in-form Antoine Semenyo, according to sources, with Liverpool and others said to be keeping tabs on the Ghana international,’ wrote Steele.
‘Interest is not advanced at this stage but Liverpool Confidential has spoken to insiders who insist the Premier League champions are one of several clubs closely monitoring the 25-year-old forward.
‘Bournemouth would be extremely reluctant to entertain a conversation around selling Semenyo in January and any move would likely be slated for next summer.
‘The Cherries are in a strong financial position having sold Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi and Milos Kerkez to Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool respectively for around £155m.
‘They are also fourth in the table with realistic ambitions of a first-ever European push under talented coach Andoni Iraola, so it would take an astronomical offer to tempt them to the negotiating table in the winter.
‘But sources have told Confidential that £75m is around the figure Bournemouth would be looking for in the summer – though this could change if Semenyo continues in the rich vein of form he is in, with six goals and three assists in eight league games this season.’
The Mail’s piece also noted Liverpool hold excellent relations with Bournemouth through the presence of Richard Hughes.
Hughes – Liverpool’s sporting director – was prevously the sporting director at Bournemouth. He’s also the man who brought Semenyo to Bournemouth in the first place.
Finally, transfer insider, Dean Jones, provided TEAMtalk with exclusive insight into the situation over the weekend.
“I don’t think he will leave in January because from my current understanding of the situation the clause in his contract would not be live at that stage,” began Jones. “I also don’t believe Bournemouth have any interest in allowing it to happen in that moment.
“The update out of Bournemouth remains that the player is satisfied with his status because of their strong start to the season, but of course that does not mean he will not look to change things long-term.
“In terms of the figures around his clause, they are continuing to remain secretive around it, but I was told recently that it is in the mid-60s. So we will have to wait and see on that.
“It is unconfirmed at this stage and there also remains a lack of clarity around when the clause would even kick in, so the situation is going to linger for a while.
“But even at Bournemouth, there is a realisation that beyond this season keeping Semenyo is going to be extremely difficult.
“In terms of true valuation, I’d say he’s worth anywhere between £70m-£100m.“
In the unlikely event Liverpool were to sign Semenyo in January, he could make an instant impact at Anfield when offsetting Salah’s absence at the Africa Cup of Nations.
That tournament runs from December 21 until January 18 and Semenyo’s Ghana have not qualified.
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