Manchester United pushed to sign Antoine Semenyo this month, but he is now set to join arch-rivals Manchester City.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, United “pushed like crazy” for Antoine Semenyo, but ultimately the 26-year-old decided against a move to Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim called Semenyo “special” in the build-up to United’s clash against Bournemouth, but the Portuguese head coach missed out on his top target.
What is your message to Antoine Semenyo?
Has he made a mistake choosing to join City? What should United do now?
Despite Amorim sticking to his 3-4-2-1 formation, his plan was not to use Antoine Semenyo in a wing-back role.
Instead, it was reported that one factor in United missing out was because of the wages that City offered to Semenyo.
How much Antoine Semenyo is earning at Man City
It was widely reported that United didn’t want to break the wage structure for Semenyo after Ineos worked to regain control of the wage bill at Old Trafford.
United’s outgoing transfer debt is also alarmingly high, so reaching Semenyo’s £65m release clause would have put a big dent in the budget.
According to The Guardian, Semenyo is set to earn £150,000 per week on his new five-year contract with City.
Are you happy with Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe?
It equates to £7.8 million per year, but the report adds that there are also “incentives” included in the deal.
City plan to pay Semenyo’s fee over a three-year period – a strategy that United have previously used in the deals for Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.
All Man United players earning more than Antoine Semenyo
Considering the calibre of Semenyo’s talents, the wages offered by City don’t seem too high.
In fact, United’s wage bill reveals that there are already several players who are earning far more than Semenyo on his new deal.
Casemiro is United’s highest earner on £350,000 per week, while Bruno Fernandes follows closely behind on £300,000 per week.
Mason Mount, Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw are also earning more than Semenyo on his new deal. Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo are also believed to be earning around £150,000 per week at United.
Ineos are right to not hand out huge contracts to new signings, but it seems that Semenyo was available for a reasonable wage offer this month.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
