Manchester United Storm Into Battle for £65M Star as City and Spurs Face New Threat
Manchester United have emerged as "genuine contenders" alongside Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign prolific Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo.
United invested over £200 million ($268.4 million) on three new attacking players during the summer transfer window—Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Šeško—and the strategy appears to be paying dividends.
While a shortage of goals was the club's primary concern during a disappointing Premier League season in 2025–26, United are now converting chances with much greater regularity this campaign. Through 16 league matches, Ruben Amorim's squad have netted 30 goals. This tally matches table-toppers Arsenal, with only Manchester City (38) registering more strikes.
The midfield area, where United have found it difficult to dictate proceedings, was believed to be the immediate focus. Nevertheless, opportunistic circumstances, as frequently occurs in transfer dealings, might prompt a move for another offensive addition.
The temporary departure of Mbeumo and Amad for Africa Cup of Nations duty with Cameroon and Ivory Coast respectively exposes potential squad depth concerns, particularly with Šeško only recently recovering from injury. Beyond international commitments, even a few simultaneous injuries in attacking positions could leave United undermanned.
This brings us to Semenyo.
Sky Sports reports United are "actively pursuing" Semenyo as the Ghana international's £65 million buyout clause approaches activation next month. City are "monitoring developments closely" while Tottenham remain interested, but United view the release clause as an opportunity they must "seriously evaluate," despite not initially planning another forward acquisition.
Notably, Semenyo, who found the net against United at Old Trafford on Monday evening during Bournemouth's contribution to an entertaining 4–4 stalemate, has been on their radar for considerable time. This represents calculated interest rather than impulsive action.
The condition for any pursuit, however, is ensuring it doesn't compromise funds earmarked for summer midfield reinforcement—Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba, Conor Gallagher, João Gomes, André, Angelo Stiller and Éderson represent eight potential targets mentioned, with valuations spanning £30–£100 million.
Amorim Dismisses Defensive Reinforcement Requirements
Despite netting four goals and possessing one of the Premier League's most dangerous attacking units, United's inability to secure maximum points against Bournemouth stemmed from defensive vulnerabilities.
The pair of goals surrendered in rapid succession immediately following the interval has become a recurring issue this season, particularly evident in the 2-2 stalemate with Nottingham Forest last month. Defensively, 26 goals allowed places United among the Premier League's six worst defensive records this campaign.
Amorim observed following the Bournemouth encounter that his side is applying pressure effectively and consequently defending well in advanced areas, but struggling in their own penalty box vicinity.
Nevertheless, he rejected suggestions that United should solve these issues through defensive recruitment, maintaining that current personnel possess adequate ability to improve.
"I believe we are applying pressure more effectively, we are managing matches better away from our goal," he stated. "But we must work extensively on how we protect our penalty area.
He continued: "We possess talented defenders, we simply need to function better collectively in defense ... we must collaborate and develop our players because they have the capability to defend more effectively."