Manchester United hold firm in approach for Antoine Semenyo

Manchester United have seemingly missed out on priority attacking target Antoine Semenyo, however the loss of the transfer race shows real positives for The Red Devils.

United have been locked in a transfer battle with Manchester City over the Bournemouth winger, with the saga heating up over the last week.

Both sides pitched their project to Semenyo and his team, as well as their financial offer to lure him to Manchester.

Chelsea briefly declared their interest, however quickly backed out of the race, leaving the Manchester duo in the driving seats.

Ultimately, Semenyo has seemingly chosen a move to Manchester City as his desired January 2026 outcome, with his £65 million release clause set to be triggered.

However, Sam C has now reported on X, that United stuck their ground in negotiations with Bournemouth over the release clause.

Whilst the clause allows for the fee to be pre-determined, skipping negotiations between clubs over a figure, talks can still take place to discuss the arrangement of the payment.

As such, CentreDevils revealed that United were looking to pay the £65 million in multiple instalments over several years, starting with a £20 million payment.

The news from Sam C confirms that United were unwilling to distort their wage structure to get a move across the line, hence a plan to pay in instalments.

A similar agreement was made with the release clause of Matheus Cunha with Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the fee to be paid across three years.

Now however, Antoine Semenyo is seemingly set to move to the Etihad when the window opens in just over a week’s time.