Manchester City have moved ahead of Liverpool in pursuing AFC Bournemouth attacker Antoine Semenyo.
The Ghanaian has a £65m release clause in his contract with the Cherries but there are still issues to discuss as Pep Guardiola tries to make him his first buy of 2026.
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Liverpool and Chelsea were reported to be interested in the player and face a decision whether to trigger the release clause themselves and match City’s interest; the latter having decided against following up their initial enquiry about the 25-year-old.
Semenyo would like to decide upon his next club before 1 January, while his release clause is thought to expire on 10 January.
If City sign Semenyo, who is the third highest scorer in the Premier League this season, it would take Guardiola’s spending to £400m in under a year, following a £180m outlay last January and further buys in the summer.
Guardiola wants a winger as his options are limited following an injury to Jeremy Doku injured and Omar Marmoush leaving the club for the African Cup of Nations. While Claudio Echeverri is returning from an unsuccessful loan with Bayer Leverkusen, the Argentinian is set to be loaned out again.
City face stiff competition from Liverpool, whose sporting director, Richard Hughes, bought Semenyo for Bournemouth from Bristol City for £10m in 2023.
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