Man Utd's Antoine Semenyo meeting, 'inevitable' transfer claim, new Bournemouth clause

 Antoine Semenyo has recently been linked with Manchester United as a result of his tremendous start to the season with Bournemouth. The versatile forward has bagged six goals and three assists this term, catching the eye of a number of top clubs.

After a successful five-year spell with Bristol City, inclusive of loan spells with Bath, Newport County and Sunderland, the Cherries signed Semenyo in January 2023 in a £10million deal. And while he has consistently impressed since arriving on the south coast, 2025/26 looks to be his breakthrough year.

With goals against Liverpool, Brighton, Leeds and Fulham to his name this term, there has been speculation that Semenyo could be on the move as early as January, despite only signing an extension this summer, which should keep him with Bournemouth until 2030. But what has been said about Semenyo's future as of late amid rumoured interest from United and Liverpool.

"A matter of time" before he moves on

While Semenyo admitted that he "didn't feel wanted" enough to part ways with the Cherries this summer, his personal skills coach, Saul Isaksson-Hurst, believes that he will leave for a "big club" soon enough. Speaking to Mirror Football, Isaksson-Hurst said: "He’s unbelievable.

"He’s a Champions League player and was unlucky not to get a move in the summer, but it’s a matter of time before he goes to a big club. There was interest. He’s one of the most electric players in the Premier League at the moment. So there’s no ceiling.

"If you can dominate the Premier League you can dominate any league. He could play for any of the big clubs and make an impact."

He added: "I said to him straight away, ‘You should be playing Champions League football.' That’s got to be the initial target. How’s he going to do that?

"You’ve got to be one of the best players at Bournemouth and help them have a really successful season and ideally be one of the highest for goals and assists in your team and in the league which will give you the platform to do that. It’s a natural progression."

Speaking about their relationship, meanwhile, the coach explained: "That resilience to work hard - that’s one of the reasons he contacted me. He understands that he needs to keep going, that he hasn’t arrived.

"He wants to be the best player he can be, to keep working on his craft. A lot of footballers approach me but very few are willing to do this stuff regularly and go the extra mile."

Private Ruben Amorim 'meeting'

While Ruben Amorim splashed the cash on the likes of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko this summer, it appears as though the Portuguese head coach also did his best to woo Semenyo. While Newcastle United and Tottenham were also interested in the star, The Transfers Podcast claims that United also pushed hard to secure his services.

It is claimed that Amorim met Semenyo for a dinner in London at the end of last season to judge his character. Meanwhile, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox are also said to have held conversations with the Cherries, yet a deal failed to come to fruition.

United were reportedly willing to shell out £55m on Semenyo, before the player committed his future to Bournemouth after reportedly learning that United were looking to pay him less than what was offered to other targets.

Semenyo's 'release clause' emerges

While Semenyo is under contract with Bournemouth until 2030, the club may not have a say on his future should Manchester United activate a reported release clause embedded into his new deal.

According to talkSPORT, the 25-year-old's contract includes such a clause, and while no details of how much it is have been disclosed, the club are thought to value their talisman at around £75m.

Bournemouth will no doubt believe that Semenyo's price tag is a fair one, given he's established himself as one of the top Premier League performers this season and the fees United paid for the likes of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha.