Romano: Amorim willing to do the unthinkable if Man Utd prevail in ‘crazy’ January transfer battle | OneFootball

Fabrizio Romano reveals the latest developments in the rapidly escalating race to sign Antoine Semenyo, involving Manchester United and three other Premier League giants.

The Ghanaian star has been on the Red Devils’ radar since last summer, but they eventually identified Bryan Mbeumo as their priority target, and eventually succeeded in landing the Cameroonian from Brentford.

And yet, Man Utd never lost track of Semenyo, especially with the latter reminding the world of his massive talent by producing sensational displays almost every weekend.

Ruben Amorim ready to change Man Utd’s formation to accommodate Antoine Semenyo

(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

The 25-year-old’s contract with Bournemouth famously includes a £65 million release clause that can only be triggered between January 1 and January 10.

Although the figure will drop to circa £50 million in the summer, the player’s suitors aren’t willing to wait that long, so the battle lines have been drawn ahead of January.

As reported in recent hours, United technical director Jason Wilcox and Amorim are both keen to activate Semenyo’s clause in the coming weeks, and they’re now waiting for a green light from the hierarchy.

On Tuesday afternoon, Fabrizio Romano delivered an interesting update on his official TikTok page, revealing that Chelsea have now joined the battle for the London native, making it a four-horse race, with the other suitors being Man Utd, Man City and Liverpool.

Moreover, the Italian journalist revealed that Amorim would be willing to change his formation if INEOS prevail in the race.

How would Man Utd line up with Semenyo?

Since he arrived at Carrington last year, Amorim has vigorously defended his 3-4-2-1 system, while a large section of fans and pundits have been pleading with him to drop it in favour of a more traditional formation.

Nevertheless, the manager has been less rigid in his approach as of late and even adopted a four-man backline during some of United’s most recent fixtures.

If Semenyo were to join the fold, switching to a 4-2-3-1 system could become almost compulsory. This formation would allow the Ghanaian to slot on the left wing, with Mbeumo on the opposite flank, and Matheus Cunha playing behind Benjamin Sesko.

Amad Diallo and Mason Mount will also be vying for starting roles, and with Sesko yet to showcase his best form since arriving in England, Cunha could lead the line, allowing the Ivorian or the Englishman to join the supporting crew.