Pep Guardiola breaks silence on Antoine Semenyo links and potential January exits | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has discussed possible amendments to his squad in the upcoming transfer window.

The Blues made seven new signings in the summer transfer window as Hugo Viana announced himself as City’s new sporting director by revamping Guardiola’s ranks, notably signing off on the exits of Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Ederson, Ilkay Gundogan, Scott Carson and James McAtee.

City are fighting for a fifth Premier League crown in six seasons and will enter Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off against Nottingham Forest two points adrift of league leaders Arsenal, who welcome Brighton to the Emirates Stadium later in the day.

Guardiola is not expected to introduce many new faces to his squad in January but Viana has addressed Manchester City’s over-reliance on Erling Haaland in goalscoring by pipping the rest of the traditional Premier League ‘Big Six’ to the signature of Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo.

While nothing formal has been agreed between City and the Cherries yet, Semenyo has given his go-ahead to join forces with Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium despite interest from Manchester United, Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Manchester City officials, led by Viana, are soon expected to table an official offer to Bournemouth for Semenyo, who has a £65 million release clause in his contract that can be activated between January 1-10.

Elsewhere, City are not expected to be as active in the January market as they were in the summer, though departures could be in the offing as certain players devoid of regular minutes search for alternatives ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Nathan Ake has been linked with a possible exit from City in January, having been warned by Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman that he needs to fix his situation at the Etihad Stadium, having started just one Premier League game for the Blues since February.

Elsewhere, Oscar Bobb has struggled for minutes in recent months despite impressing at the FIFA Club World Cup in June and starting the 2025-26 season as a starter, with Phil Foden returning to his best form in recent months and Jeremy Doku making the left-wing spot his own this term.

Speaking to the club’s official channels ahead of Saturday’s visit to Nottingham Forest, Guardiola previewed what the January transfer window can look like for the Blues. “Everything can happen,” he said.

“Last season, when we started it, I never could’ve expected going into the transfer window with four or five players (being signed) – we had (so many) players injured.”

City are expected to close a deal with Bournemouth for Semenyo in January, which could propel Bobb to seek an exit – whether on loan or a permanent basis – amid interest from Borussia Dortmund. Ake has been linked with Bournemouth and Newcastle, with a decision to make on his Manchester City future amid doubts over his World Cup prospects.