How Arsenal helped Manchester City beat Premier League rivals in Antoine Semenyo race | OneFootball

Manchester City would not necessarily have been Antoine Semenyo’s preferred destination in January had Arsenal come to the negotiating table, as per a new report.

City have reportedly won the race to sign Semenyo from Bournemouth in the January transfer window as Pep Guardiola shores up his frontline to sustain a title challenge against Arsenal and fulfil his side’s aspirations for silverware on all fronts.

Semenyo attracted interest in varying levels from all of the Premier League ‘Big Six’ but after extensive talks with executives at the Etihad Stadium, the 25-year-old forward have given his go-ahead to join forces with Guardiola in the north-west.

The Ghana international has a £65 million release clause in his contract that can be activated before January 10, with Manchester City – led by director of football Hugo Viana – expected to table a formal offer to Bournemouth for their star man when the January window opens.

It has been suggested this week that City are also likely to raise an alternative payment structure for Semenyo in talks with the Cherries, who would prefer to keep their winger till the end of the season but are resigned to losing him next month.

Manchester City have been overly reliant on Erling Haaland to produce the goods in front of goal so far this season, with Guardiola understood to have personally driven the Blues’ interest in Semenyo, who has established himself as one of the most feared attackers in the Premier League under Andoni Iraola on the south coast.

City are two points adrift of Arsenal in second place in the Premier League table, having progressed to the Carabao Cup semi-final and taken a huge stride towards qualifying for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 after coming from behind to beat Real Madrid in their group-phase clash at the Santiago Bernabeu earlier this month.

While the jury remains out on whether the Blues can sustain their charge for silverware on multiple fronts as the season progresses, Viana and co are doing everything in their power to plug loopholes in Guardiola’s ranks and provide the Catalan the ammunition he needs to improve upon Manchester City’s trophyless 2024-25 campaign.

Semenyo had a wide list of suitors heading into January and despite indicating a preference to join Manchester City, there is a feeling in some quarters that the north-west would not necessarily have been the Bournemouth star’s first-choice pick had Arsenal made a stronger pursuit, as reported by David Ornstein of The Athletic.

Tottenham also tabled a ‘highly competitive’ salary to the want-away Cherries superstar, who ‘politely declined’ a move to the white half of north London as he assessed his options and made a firm decision over the next chapter of his career.

Manchester United and Manchester City were the strongest contenders for his signature in the end and despite eleventh inquiries from Liverpool and Chelsea, City won the race for Semenyo owing to the winger’s desire to win major trophies.

There is no formal agreement in place between Manchester City and Bournemouth for Semenyo as things stand, with Etihad Stadium officials expected to make a formal offer to the Cherries when the January window opens.