Manchester United made a £50m bid over the summer for a player who is having a fabulous season so far, but Bournemouth turned down the offer for Antoine Semenyo.
The 25-year-old has been in great form as the Cherries have enjoyed a brilliant start to the campaign under Andoni Iraola.
Despite losing a string of big players over the summer, Bournemouth have not been held back and sit second in the Premier League table after nine games, losing just once.
Semenyo has been a huge part of that success, scoring six goals and providing three assists over those nine matches.
Few would have predicted quite that level of success from the Ghana international, but Semenyo was highly rated before this sparkling run of form.
Get personalised updates on Manchester United every day
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you.
In fact, Premier League giants came calling over the summer, with Bournemouth turning down bids for their star man.
The Telegraph report that both Manchester United and Tottenham made £50m bids for Semenyo ‘at the start of the window.’
Those bids were rejected and Semenyo signed a new five-year contract at the club, although the chances of him staying with Bournemouth for five years appear remote.
The Telegraph’s report states that a release clause was written into the new contract, which the player’s agent can inform other clubs of, but has not been made public.
If he can continue the kind of form he has been showing so far this campaign then big clubs will come calling again in 2026 and Bournemouth will likely cash in for much more than they were offered over the summer.
The Red Devils, Spurs and Liverpool have all been linked with coming in for Semenyo in January.
Despite his blistering start to the season, Iraola is clear that Semenyo can still improve and has made that clear to him.
‘I think Antoine is someone who accepts well our criticisms,’ said the highly-rated manager. ‘We always tell him, you need to improve this, you need to improve, you cannot stop here.
‘Do not focus in your numbers, try to help us in other ways. Even in set pieces, the other day, Junior Kroupi scored [against Crystal Palace], but he’s the first one. I don’t know if he even touches the ball, but the first one to flick it or to arrive to those positions.
Antoine Semenyo Premier League stats
Apps: 90
Goals: 26
Assists: 10
‘He’s adding, I think, aerial power to his game. That is always nice.
‘Defensively, he’s been honest and disciplined and I think this improves a lot the package. It’s not just what people see on the highlights, it’s a lot more. And I hope he can continue building like this.
‘I think he can get better. Yes. I think there are areas that he knows he has to improve and he’s improving and I think all the players can get better. But Antoine, yes, definitely.’
