Chelsea Abandons Antoine Semenyo Pursuit After Getting Cold Feet on Transfer Deal
Chelsea have reportedly withdrawn from the competitive race for Antoine Semenyo after sensing that the highly coveted striker had already made his mind up about joining another club.
Semenyo stands as potentially the most pursued talent during this transfer window. The dynamic Premier League performer, now hitting his peak at 25 years old, is believed to have a £65 million ($87.9 million) buyout clause written into his deal that becomes active this January.
As expected, Semenyo's roster of interested clubs is extensive. Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur (prior to being turned down) have all been strongly connected.
Chelsea appeared poised to surge ahead in that competition when news broke that the Blues had made an "opening inquiry" recently. Considering the established release clause amount, this approach to the player and his agents would presumably have focused on personal arrangements, including wages and contract duration.
On the identical day as those reports regarding Chelsea's approach, the same sources suggested that Enzo Maresca's pursuit had been quickly dropped. Sky Sports News maintained that the Blues had evaluated their offensive capabilities and concluded they didn't need to bring Semenyo into a roster that already features Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho, Estêvão, Pedro Neto, João Pedro and Liam Delap.
However, the composition of their current squad should have been evaluated prior to making the initial inquiry. The same coverage also suggests the theory that Chelsea were discouraged because "the player had already made up his mind about joining elsewhere."
It has subsequently been reported that Manchester City represents Semenyo's preferred destination, which is believed to stem from the probability of Pep Guardiola's team securing significant silverware.
While Semenyo may no longer be available, Chelsea's search for additional offensive additions hasn't been completely dismissed.
Chelsea 'Tracking' Attacking Additions
Similar to someone preparing for emergencies, Chelsea aren't hesitant about accumulating talent. The Blues do possess dual options for each role across their attacking trio, but the stylistic diversity and caliber of these players (or absence of it) doesn't provide Maresca with extensive tactical flexibility. Garnacho and Gittens, for example, both possess remarkably comparable assets and limitations.
Possibly considering this situation, Chelsea are anticipated to keep "tracking" possibilities for additional attack-minded players in 2026, according to The Athletic. Sporting CP's emerging star Geovany Quenda is already scheduled to join next season while Strasbourg skipper Emmanuel Emegha will also follow the well-worn route from France to west London.
Chelsea are allegedly investigating Saint-Étienne prospect Djylian N'Guessan, who is also believed to be attracting Arsenal's attention, while there has been unsubstantiated rumors regarding a potential move for Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi.