Ruben Amorim reportedly met with one of the Premier League’s top players to agree a transfer that eventually fell through.
Several of the biggest football names joined Premier League clubs during one of the busiest and most thrilling transfer windows in recent memory, which took place over the summer.
Over the course of the three-month summer transfer window, nearly every club in the top division of England made bold acquisitions, including Viktor Gyokeres, Benjamin Sesko, and Alexander Isak.
United continued to be active in the transfer market, acquiring Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Diego Leon, and Senne Lammens while managing the exit of several important players, even though they finished 15th in the Premier League last season.
However, it has now been made public that Amorim spoke with the player and reached a personal agreement, bringing United dangerously close to signing one of the season’s most impressive players.
Thanks to an outstanding effort from Antoine Semenyo, Bournemouth came within minutes of earning a point in a difficult road encounter against defending champions Liverpool in the first game of the 2025–26 Premier League season.
The Ghanaian international has since been linked to a number of teams, with United reportedly being the most interested after Semenyo met with Amorim to discuss a possible transfer.
According to a report from Duncan Castles, United had agreed personal terms with Semenyo after Amorim took him out for a meal to judge his character ahead of a potential move.
Speaking on an episode of The Transfers Podcast, the journalist revealed: “Both Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox had direct conversations with Bournemouth about signing the forward, who had scored 11 goals last season.
“During those conversations, United, I’m told, said they would pay no more than £55m for the player. They used the same strategy as with Cunha and Mbeumo in that they agreed personal terms with Semenyo before attempting to agree a fee with Bournemouth.
“They even had Amorim take him for a meal in London at the end of the season, so that Amorim could judge his character. Again, similar as to Cunha and Mbeumo.”
But, according to Castles, Bournemouth utilized Tottenham Hotspur’s interest in signing the star forward this summer to raise their asking price, so United wasn’t the only team interested in him.
According to the report, Bournemouth was able to persuade the 25-year-old to sign a new contract until 2030 because Semenyo would be receiving “less than 70 per cent” of what United is paying Cunha and Mbeumo.
However, Bournemouth has reportedly informed Semenyo that they would permit him to leave the team after at least one more season at the Vitality Stadium, thus a future agreement for Semenyo is still possible for United.
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