Andoni Iraola issues Antoine Semenyo update as Chelsea start talks over £65m January move | OneFootball

Bournemouth star set to be centre of huge January transfer chase

Standard Sport understands that Chelsea have made contact with Semenyo’s representatives to confirm their interest in a January move.

Semenyo’s exit appears certain, with Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool all also interested in the Ghanaian. Tottenham have previously shown interest.

"Antoine Semenyo right now is with us, he's playing very well, he's playing very well,” Iraola said of Semenyo.

“I understand that there is a lot of noise around Antoine, but my concern is that it doesn't affect him, his performances, and we are seeing that it's not affecting his performances.

"He's very committed to the team and I hope we can keep him there. There are situations that I cannot control or we cannot control, but right now Antoine is our player and he's going to continue playing for us. If you ask me, I don't want to lose him, definitely I don't want to lose him.

"But like we always say, every time the market opens, you never know what's going to happen. I think it's no secret that he's a massive player for us."

Semenyo joined Bournemouth from Bristol City in 2023 for £10.5m, and was born in west London, which could potentially give Chelsea an edge over the other clubs vying for his signature.

Despite not wanting to lose him, Iraola is aware that the situation is out of his control.

He added: "At the end of situations, myself as a coach, I don't control, I'm not in the negotiations when the players negotiate with the club and they find agreements.

"When you sign a contract, both parties are happy when you sign the contract. But me as a coach, I can only tell you I hope we don't lose him, because it's very, very important for us. But I don't know, I cannot control what's going to happen."