LIVE
...

Follow us on

Transfer News

Why Manchester United might be forced to make Antoine Semenyo move in January

Add as preferred source on Google

Manchester United are fans of Antoine Semenyo and the latest developments could mean Ineos has no choice but to act in January.

While the Ghanaian forward was good last season, he has been even better this campaign with six goals and three assists in the Premier League after 11 games.

Antoine Semenyo has been elite, and a large part of Bournemouth has once again been contending at the top end of the table.

Who is your dream Manchester United signing in 2026?

This unsurprisingly led to plenty of rumours, with Semenyo commenting on transfer links away from Bournemouth, with the chances of him leaving in 2026 looking increasingly likely.

Semenyo is a very hard-working forward, not just a goal contribution machine, and his arrival would be similar to when United signed Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha.

Antoine Semenyo in Bournemouth jacket in front of smoke.
Photo by MB Media/Getty Images

Manchester United may have to accelerate Antoine Semenyo interest

Semenyo is likely to have the big six hunting him in the summer of 2026, but Manchester United should be looking to steal a march on rivals.

This could now mean that the club are forced into making a January move for the talented forward, as David Ornstein explains why.

The reason for this is that Semenyo’s contract has a £65m release clause, which becomes active in January, a complete bargain, and Bournemouth will be powerless to stop him leaving.

Due to this, expect a race for his signature to spark up, as United might either think they can sign him before other interest arises, or if Tottenham, for example, makes a move, it might push the Red Devils into action.

United should be seriously considering this, with the potential early buy option of Rasmus Hojlund as a source of funding.

It would be expensive but potentially season-defining for Ruben Amorim.

Antoine Semenyo arriving January 1st could save Manchester United during AFCON

There is an impending doom at Old Trafford in the sense that both Mbeumo and Amad will soon be heading to the African Cup of Nations, which lasts a month and sees them miss some massive games.

However, with Ghana failing to win all six qualifying games, they are missing AFCON this season, meaning Semenyo would be able to come in and lessen the impact of losing Mbeumo and Amad.

🇪🇺 Qualified European Nations (2026 FIFA World Cup)

Country Qualification Route
🇭🇷 Croatia Group L Winners
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England Group K Winners
🇫🇷 France Group D Winners
🇩🇪 Germany Group A Winners
🇳🇱 Netherlands Group G Winners
🇳🇴 Norway Group I Winners
🇵🇹 Portugal Group F Winners

*Note: These teams qualified directly by winning their respective groups. The remaining spots will be determined by the final group matches and the play-off tournament in March 2026.

Ghana have qualified for the World Cup; however, this means signing Semenyo after he no doubt shines in the USA would be even trickier.

So signing Semenyo in January quickly could save United’s season, and see a really strong push toward the top four while also lessening the AFCON impact.

For £65m, it seems like a no-brainer.