The winter transfer window is just days away now, and the football world is buzzing with transfer rumours and news. Chelsea, who have had a mediocre first half of the season, are gearing up to add some reinforcements to further bolster their squad, which has been hit with multiple injuries so far.
In fact, the Blues had already been linked with Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo as one of their top targets for January and even made contact with the player’s representatives recently. Chelsea fans would have surely loved to see the Ghanaian international in a Royal Blue jersey.
Unfortunately, reports emerged merely hours later, suggesting that Chelsea have pulled out of the race for Semenyo, confusing fans. Now, Fabrizio Romano has posted on X regarding this transfer saga, which provides a clearer picture of why the Blues might have ended their pursuit of the player.
The Italian journalist stated that Semenyo’s preference is to join Manchester City. The Citizens and Bournemouth will be in direct contact this week regarding the player. Notably, Semenyo has a £65 million release clause available until January 10, but the club will approach with a different deal structure and payment terms.
Real reason Chelsea pulled out of Antoine Semenyo race
Semenyo has taken the Premier League by storm this campaign with his performances. The Ghanaian winger has already scored eight goals and provided three assists in 17 matches across all competitions for Bournemouth so far this season.
This recent development will certainly be a disappointing blow for Chelsea fans. Manchester City are already several steps ahead of them and look set to get even better, while the Blues might be stagnating already.
However, that is not to say that Chelsea don’t have quality forwards, with Estevao and Pedro Neto in decent form. However, players like Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho and Liam Delap are yet to perform at their true potential and will surely need to step up in the second half of the season, especially with the club now missing out on Semenyo.