HUGE twist gives Liverpool lead over Man City in Semenyo transfer race

Liverpool are still considered frontrunners to sign Antoine Semenyo despite intense interest from Manchester City after learning of a crucial factor that could give Arne Slot’s side the edge in the race for the Bournemouth star.

Semenyo will be one of the most in-demand players in the Premier League next year after it emerged that he has a release clause in his contract which is valued at £65 million (€74.2m) in January.

Liverpool may look to accelerate a move for Semenyo after their recent dire run of form and to offset any loss of Mohamed Salah, who is likely to be missing for a large portion of January whilst away with Egypt at AFCON.

Recent reports have also revealed that City could look to ease the goalscoring load on Erling Haaland by pursuing a deal for Semenyo but The i Paper have claimed that Pep Guardiola’s men are ‘more likely’ to make a move for him in the summer rather than January.

Semenyo’s release clause is understood to drop to below £60m (€68.4m) next summer and Bournemouth’s preference is to keep hold of the 25-year-old until the end of the season but Liverpool may take control of the race with a winter approach.

Liverpool are still said to be ‘frontrunners’ for Semenyo and much will depend on whether their form improves in the coming weeks but they may look to beat their rivals to the punch and avoid a tug-of-war for the winger by paying the premium to sign the winger in January.

Semenyo could be tempted by January proposal to leave Bournemouth

Semenyo has established himself as a standout performer in the Premier League over the past year, having netted six goals already this season after scoring 11 times last year.

The Ghanian international signed a new contract with Bournemouth until 2030 at the start of the summer and details of the release clause have since been revealed, although the pay structure of the buyout is not specified, giving the Cherries some say in the deal.

Semenyo is also said to be happy at Bournemouth and not pushing to leave but a concrete proposal from either City or Liverpool could change his stance.

The likes of Tottenham and Manchester United have also been linked to Semenyo but it appears to be a two-horse race with City and Liverpool, with the Reds potentially able to secure their target if they move quickly to sign him this winter.

Football transfer news headlines today

TRANSFER RUMOURS: Chelsea line up €185m raid as Man Utd breakthrough made

Arsenal ‘ones to watch’ in €90m striker transfer race

Man Utd get chance to sign ‘spectacular’ long-term target for half price

Arne Slot makes Liverpool sack statement

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers’ new app for all of football’s big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•Google Play

•App Store