Antoine Semenyo’s Manchester City shirt number revealed succeeding club legend | OneFootball

Manchester City’s newest recruit could be set to take on a shirt number last worn by one of the club’s greatest-ever players, a new report has hinted.

With Antoine Semenyo now on the verge of being formally unveiled as a City player, attention has begun to shift away from the mechanics of his transfer and towards the finer details of his integration into Pep Guardiola’s squad.

Among those is the symbolic question of squad numbers, sometimes viewed as a subtle indicator of a player’s standing and intended role within the group.

The Ghanaian’s imminent arrival follows a fast-moving sequence of developments that have unfolded over the past weeks, including his final appearance for Bournemouth that featured a dramatic late winning goal against Tottenham.

City are understood to have agreed a deal worth £62.5 million plus add-ons with their recruitment counterparts on the South Coast, with Semenyo expected to sign a five-and-a-half-year contract at the Etihad Stadium.

As previously reported, the structure of the agreement has allowed City to avoid formally triggering the player’s £65 million release clause, while Bournemouth will retain a sell-on percentage should Semenyo move again in the future.

Now, according to BBC Sport’s Sami Mokbel, Antoine Semenyo could opt to wear Manchester City’s number 42 shirt upon signing for Pep Guardiola’s side this week – a number that has not been worn at the Etihad Stadium since Yaya Toure’s departure in 2019.

The significance of the number is unlikely to be lost on City supporters as Yaya Touré remains one of the most influential figures in the club’s modern history, central to multiple Premier League title wins and widely regarded as a transformational player during City’s rise to domestic dominance.

The number 42 has remained untouched since his exit from the club upon the conclusion of Pep Guardiola’s third season at the Etihad Stadium, adding weight to the suggestion that it may now be reintroduced.

The allocation of the number to Semenyo would represent a notable statement as the forward prepares to begin his career under Guardiola, and would also align with City’s broader approach of blending respect for club history with the next generation of senior figures.

An official announcement confirming Antoine Semenyo’s transfer is expected very soon, with the forward likely to be available shortly after joining up with his new teammates and potentially being involved against Exeter City in the FA Cup third round this weekend.