Man Utd lead ‘crazy’ four-horse race for ‘world-class’ star as Romano confirms January clause | OneFootball

Manchester United reportedly have the edge in the race for coveted Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo, who could leave in January.

The 25-year-old has been on MUFC’s radar since last season, but the club opted to sign Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford instead, even though Ruben Amorim had a meeting with the Ghanaian.

The winger, who has been hailed by his teammate Justin Kluivert as ‘world-class’, has been replicating last season’s exploits this term, thus consolidating his status as one of the most explosive players in the Premier League.

Man United ahead of EPL rivals in the race for Antoine Semenyo

In recent weeks, Semenyo’s future reemerged at the forefront, especially following the revelation of a £60m plus £5m release clause inserted in his Bournemouth contract.

But while Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham have all been mentioned as possible destinations, The i Paper claims that Man Utd remain ahead of the queue.

Even though the Red Devils weren’t planning to interfere in the market in January, this is deemed to be an unmissable opportunity to give Amorim a profile he’s been craving for. The manager admitted he’d love to have a right-footed winger who can operate in various roles on the left flank, the way Amad Diallo works the right side, and Semenyo is considered tailor-made for this role.

The source adds that Liverpool are more focused on enhancing their defence in January, while Man City prefer to wait until the summer to pursue the Ghana international. Finally, Spurs are still considered outsiders in the race.

Moreover, Bournemouth are said to be resigned to losing the player in January. Although their plan was to keep him until the end of the season, the ‘crazy’ developments on the market, as the report puts it, have forced them to alter their plans.

Man Utd must trigger Semenyo’s clause before January 10

On a related note, Fabrizio Romano confirmed in his latest YouTube update that Semenyo’s release clause in January is only viable until January 10, to allow the Cherries to buy a replacement during the rest of the month.

United have already spent north of £200 million on their attacking department last summer, but the department could do with a new addition. After all, the club has parted ways with several attackers, namely Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund.

The main question remains whether INEOS will be able to fund the Semenyo operation in the middle of the season, while the club’s return to Europe remains far from guaranteed.