Manchester United had reportedly made concrete steps to sign Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth, but the deal eventually collapsed after some interesting developments.
In a nearly complete overhaul of their attacking unit, the Red Devils brought in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko while letting go of Jadon Sancho, Antony, Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, and Rasmus Hojlund.
The new offensive trio has thrilled MUFC fans, but they would have been more happier if the team had been successful in pursuing Semenyo.
Ruben Amorim was keen to recruit Antoine Semenyo
The London native has been dubbed a “maverick” for his flamboyant style of play and is an explosive winger with a knack for goal. Before relocating to Bournemouth in January 2023, he started his career at Bristol City.
The Ghanaian international, like Mbuemo and Cunha, is coming off an incredible season in which he scored 13 goals and provided seven assists across all competitions. Even if it wasn’t enough to earn the Cherries a point at Anfield, he was able to continue where he left off, scoring an incredible brace against Liverpool on the first day of the season.
The 25-year-old thus enchanted Ruben Amorim. In an effort to win the winger over, the Portuguese manager took him out to dinner in London, as football journalist Duncan Castels disclosed on The Transfers Podcast.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth authorities were approached by Man United CEO Omar Berrada and sporting director Jason Wilcox, who made an offer of £55 million.
Why Semenyo preferred to stay at Bournemouth rather than joining Man United
Although this is the identical starting offer that Manchester United first made in their negotiations with Brentford for Mbeumo and Wolves for Cunha, Semenyo reportedly found out that he was only receiving 70% of the income that his Cameroonian and Brazilian peers were receiving.
In order to avoid being on the market, the Ghanaian made the decision to change his mind and sign a five-year contract with Bournemouth.
| Stats in 2024/25 | Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Matheus Cunha | Wolves | 36 | 17 | 6 |
| Bryan Mbeumo | Brentford | 42 | 20 | 9 |
| Antoine Semenyo | Bournemouth | 42 | 13 | 7 |
Castels adds that the feeling at Bournemouth was that Man Utd didn’t necessarily target Semenyo as an alternative for either Cunha or Mbeumo, as they had suggested, but that the Red Devils were instead open to signing all three forwards.
Only time will tell if the Bristol youth product made the right call with his stern rejection of MUFC, while a rekindling of the flame in the future can never be completely ruled out.
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