Ghana international Antoine Semenyo finds himself at the centre of a January transfer dilemma, with Bournemouth and Manchester City divided over the timing of a potential move.
Manchester City are prepared to trigger Semenyo’s £65m release clause and bring the forward to the Etihad Stadium as soon as the transfer window opens. However, BBC Sport understands that while Semenyo is keen for the deal to be completed on 1 January, Bournemouth would prefer the move to be delayed until later in the month.
The Cherries are hoping the 25-year-old will remain available until around 10 January, allowing him to feature in key Premier League fixtures against Tottenham and Arsenal. Bournemouth are also eager to buy time to line up a suitable replacement before losing one of their most influential attackers.
The situation is complicated by the nature of Semenyo’s contract. With a buyout clause in place, Manchester City are not required to negotiate directly with Bournemouth, meaning the south coast club have little control once the clause is activated.
That leaves the decision largely in Semenyo’s hands. If he insists on an immediate move, City can complete the transfer without delay. If he agrees to wait, it would offer Bournemouth a brief but valuable window to manage the transition.
For now, the Ghana forward remains focused on his current club, but with City ready to act, the coming days could determine whether Bournemouth get one last run of games from their star man before he heads north.
