Man City Explore Triggering Release Clause of Ghanaian Forward Antoine Semenyo
- Manchester City are reportedly preparing to trigger the release clause of Ghana international Antoine Semenyo ahead of the January transfer window
- Semenyo emerged as a major transfer target for several top clubs during the summer, but ultimately chose to sign a new contract with Bournemouth
- The winter window is approaching, and Bournemouth are bracing for renewed interest and fresh bids for the in-form winger after successfully fending off offers earlier in the year
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Manchester City appear to be the first club making concrete moves toward a potential January bid for Bournemouth’s breakout winger Antoine Semenyo.
The 2023/24 Premier League champions have never been reluctant to spend when necessary, having splashed more than £170 million ($225.6m) on four first-team signings last January alone.
Source: Getty Images
Their heavy investment continued into the summer with another £181 million committed to six new arrivals.
Despite that outlay, City are still in the middle of a significant squad rebuild following last season’s unexpected decline, which halted their streak of four consecutive Premier League titles.
The transition has been evident this campaign, with Pep Guardiola’s side losing four of their opening 13 league matches, an unusual dip for a club known for its relentless dominance.
Erling Haaland has been responsible for more than half of Manchester City’s Premier League goals this season - 14 of their 27 -, and the need to ease that burden has intensified interest in a dynamic, multi-threat forward like Semenyo.
“The big teams score with many, many players. If it's just Erling that scores the goals we will struggle,” Pep Guardiola admitted after the recent 3–2 win over Leeds United.
According to The Times, City are now “considering” whether to activate Semenyo’s £65 million release clause, which becomes valid on January 1.
While the club is “not yet fully committed,” some figures within the Etihad hierarchy reportedly believe Semenyo’s arrival could “give them the edge” in their pursuit of league leaders Arsenal.
Crucially, the clause must be triggered by an undisclosed early-January deadline to ensure Bournemouth have adequate time to sign a replacement.
City will face competition, with Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur also linked with the in-form Ghanaian, per GOAL.
Liverpool’s case stands out, given that sporting director Richard Hughes, who originally brought Semenyo to Bournemouth in 2023, is now at Anfield, though the Reds may hesitate after spending over £400 million in the summer.
Source: Getty Images
Bournemouth won’t block Semenyo’s exit
Bournemouth have long made it clear that they will not stand in the way of their top talents when bigger clubs come calling.
In the 2025 summer transfer window alone, Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi and Milos Kerkez departed for Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool, respectively, generating a combined fee of around £144.5 million.
Cherries general manager Tim Bezbatchenko recently underlined the club’s stance, saying:
“When a club like Real Madrid, Liverpool or PSG come in and they’re competing for Champions League positions, who are we to say, ‘No, you can’t go, you can’t fulfil your dream?’”
That same philosophy now applies to Antoine Semenyo, whose release clause leaves Bournemouth financially secure.
The club stand to make an enormous £55 million profit in just three years after initially signing him from Bristol City for £10 million in January 2023, at a time when he had never played above Championship level.
Although Semenyo signed a new five-year deal as recently as July, it increasingly appears that the contract was designed to protect Bournemouth’s financial interests and maximise any future sale, rather than truly commit the winger to a long-term stay.
Semenyo wins top prize in England
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Antoine Semenyo was named the PFA Premier League Fans’ Player of the Month for September 2025 after an impressive spell with Bournemouth.
The Black Stars forward beat some of the league’s top stars to the award following a string of brilliant displays that powered the Cherries’ attack.
Proofreading by Omoleye Omoruyi, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
