Iraola confident Semenyo will play for Bournemouth again despite Man City talks
The Cherries winger looks to be heading to Manchester this January
Manchester City are closing in on a deal to sign Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth after moving to meet the forward’s £65m release clause, although Cherries head coach Andoni Iraola insists the Ghana international has not yet played his final match for the club.
Talks between the two sides have intensified over the past 48 hours, with negotiations now focused on resolving the remaining details ahead of the January transfer window opening on Thursday.
City have agreed to trigger Semenyo’s clause and the player’s representatives were in Manchester on Monday to finalise personal terms.
Discussions continued on Tuesday, with sources suggesting a full agreement is close. Semenyo, 25, has been keen for clarity over his future before the turn of the year, but Bournemouth are determined to retain him for at least their next two fixtures.
The winger played the full match in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea and Iraola has made clear that he expects him to feature again, starting with Saturday’s game against Arsenal. “He is a massive player for us and he will still be with us,” Iraola told BBC Match of the Day. “It is not the last game he has played for us, definitely not.”
Sources have revealed that Bournemouth want Semenyo available for the Arsenal match and the following fixture against Tottenham on Wednesday, 7 January, before the release mechanism in his contract expires on 10 January.
While Liverpool remain interested, City are currently leading the race and are expected to complete the move unless the Premier League champions make a late intervention.
Despite interest from several clubs, including Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham, City are the only side to have made formal contact with Bournemouth, placing them firmly in pole position to secure Semenyo’s signature.