{"id":56974,"date":"2025-12-23T08:20:04","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T08:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/?p=56974"},"modified":"2025-12-23T08:20:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T08:20:04","slug":"sky-reporter-casts-doubt-on-antoine-semenyo-transfer-claim-sending-liverpool-fans-into-overdrive-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/?p=56974","title":{"rendered":"Sky reporter casts doubt on Antoine Semenyo transfer claim, sending Liverpool fans into overdrive"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With the January transfer window just 10 days away, few players in the Premier League are attracting more attention than Antoine Semenyo.<\/p>\n<p>Much to the frustration of Bournemouth, the 25-year-old forward looks set to be one of the most talked-about names in the coming weeks, with three major clubs from the North West reportedly interested in securing his services. Fabrizio Romano has suggested that Manchester United and Manchester City are locked in a head-to-head race for the attacker, but The Guardian\u2019s Mark Dobson has indicated that Semenyo would prefer a switch to Arne Slot\u2019s Liverpool.<\/p>\n<p>Sky Sports have added that a decision on his future could come as early as today, with reporter Kaveh Solhekol highlighting the genuine possibility of a move to Anfield.<\/p>\n<p>Semenyo would favour Liverpool if they make a move<\/p>\n<p>Solhekol explained:<br \/>\n\u201cIf Liverpool make an approach, he would choose them. It\u2019s an opportunity you simply don\u2019t turn down. Liverpool have admired him for a long time and have previously considered signing him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re also known for acting decisively in January. Luis D\u00edaz was close to joining Tottenham before Liverpool stepped in late, and Cody Gakpo looked destined for Manchester United before Liverpool moved.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLiverpool don\u2019t usually engage in bidding wars. They wait until deals are nearly completed elsewhere, then step in and match the terms. While they\u2019re expected to keep January relatively quiet, the club does have funds available and will act quickly if a key summer target risks slipping away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the coming days, especially after Alexander Isak\u2019s injury, discussions will take place about whether Liverpool make a late push for Semenyo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Semenyo emerging as a serious January option<\/p>\n<p>As Solhekol noted, the unfortunate injury to Liverpool\u2019s number nine during the weekend victory over Tottenham could force the club\u2019s hierarchy to accelerate their interest in Semenyo. The Bournemouth attacker took his tally to eight goals for the season in Saturday\u2019s 1\u20131 draw with Burnley.<\/p>\n<p>Liverpool\u2019s history of January hijacks, such as D\u00edaz and Gakpo, suggests the club won\u2019t be alarmed by reports linking Semenyo to Manchester. Several credible sources have now suggested that Anfield could be his preferred destination if he leaves Bournemouth next month, with his previous working relationship with sporting director Richard Hughes potentially playing a key role.<\/p>\n<p>Given Liverpool\u2019s limited attacking depth \u2014 even with Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo expected back \u2014 a January move for Semenyo now appears more essential than optional. That assessment has changed rapidly following Isak\u2019s setback, which may force Liverpool to rethink their winter transfer plans.<\/p>\n<p>At the very least, a serious attempt to lure Semenyo away from the Manchester clubs can be expected. Ultimately, the final decision will rest with the player, including whether he is open to reuniting with Hughes and Milos Kerkez at Anfield in 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the January transfer window just 10 days away, few players in the Premier League are attracting more attention than Antoine Semenyo. Much to the frustration of Bournemouth, the 25-year-old forward looks set to be one of the most talked-about names in the coming weeks, with three major clubs from the North West reportedly interested &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":56797,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56974","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_0478.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56974","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=56974"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56974\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56975,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56974\/revisions\/56975"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/56797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=56974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=56974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=56974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}