Man City win Semenyo race with reported £62.5M transfer

Antoine Semenyo has chosen Manchester City.

The London-born Ghanaian international has joined Pep Guardiola's side on a contract until June 2031 after City struck a deal with Bournemouth that reportedly bypassed his £65-million release clause.

Manchester City will instead pay £62.5 million over a 24-month spell, while Bournemouth could earn an extra £1.5 million in bonuses and a further 10% of any profit from a future sale, reports The Athletic's David Ornstein.

"I have watched City over the last decade under Pep Guardiola, and they have been the dominant team in the Premier League as well as achieving amazing things in the Champions League, FA Cup, and League Cup," Semenyo said upon his unveiling.

"I have so much scope for improvement, so to be at this club, at this stage of my career, is perfect for me ... My best football is yet to come, I am sure of that. And City are in a great position - still involved in four competitions. I really feel I can help them have a strong second half of the season."

Bournemouth convinced City to let Semenyo feature in three more matches for the club before his transfer, Ornstein adds. The 26-year-old's final act for the Cherries was an excellent 95th-minute winner against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.

"He's a big miss for us, he's a player that you cannot replace," Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola said after the 3-2 win, as quoted by The Independent's Will Castle. "He's an incredible player."

The likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, and Tottenham were all tracking the dynamic winger prior to the January transfer window, according to an earlier report by Ornstein. However, Semenyo picked Manchester City because he wanted to work with Guardiola, transfer insider Fabrizio Romano reported Tuesday.

Semenyo was also linked with Manchester United.

The former Bristol City prospect has been one of the Premier League's standout attackers this season. He remains Bournemouth's leading scorer in England's top flight with 10 goals. Only two players - Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Brentford's Igor Thiago - have scored more this term.

Semenyo has also provided three assists, and should add another credible threat to a side that relies heavily on Haaland for goals. The prolific Norwegian has a league-leading 20 tallies on the campaign, but nobody else has more than seven for City. Only Haaland has taken more non-penalty shots than Semenyo since the start of the 2024-25 Premier League season.

Semenyo should immediately push for regular starts at City, especially while Oscar Bobb and Savinho are in the treatment room and Omar Marmoush is with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Manchester City sit second in the Premier League after 21 matches, six points behind leaders Arsenal.