Bournemouth have an interest in Alex Scott and Antoine Semenyo during the January transfer window but Bristol Live understands no offer has been made for either player.
Team Talk reported on Monday that the Cherries "are in talks to sign the Bristol City duo" and are preparing a double bid in the region of £20million. The Premier League side have come under new ownership in American billionaire Bill Foley who is prepared to hand manager Gary O'Neil funds to bolster Bournemouth's survival hopes.
It is understood they have significant interest in 19-year-old midfielder Scott and while Semenyo remains on their radar, the club have other targets in mind presently ahead of the Ghanaian. That situation can, of course, change depending on how circumstances change over the next month.
Bournemouth have not gone as far as opening talks with Bristol City for Scott although interest in his signature continues to mount. The Telegraph reported how Wolves retain an interest alongside a dozen other top-flight clubs that include Leicester and Everton.
In the case of Semenyo, who scored his first goal since September in the 1-1 draw with Coventry on Sunday, Bournemouth have other striker targets in mind for now. Ex-City midfielder O'Neil is in the market for a new frontman to provide competition for Kieffer Moore and Dominic Solanke.
Bournemouth enquired about Semenyo's availability in the summer but due to former owner Maxim Demin's intention to sell the club, they weren't willing to match City's valuation. Shortly after the transfer speculation, the club cryptically tweeted an image of Scott and Semenyo celebrating the latter's goal at Coventry.
City recently activated the extension to Semenyo's contract which now expires in 2024. Therefore, they would be under no obligation to cash in until the end of the season.
Scott is under contract until 2025 and Nigel Pearson confirmed they would not necessarily have to sell either of their star assets in order to bring new faces to the club this month. The City manager wants to add at least one central defender and an attacking midfielder.
Speaking before Christmas, when asked if things can happen next month without a significant sale, he added: “Yes, they can. But then you’ve got to remember we will still have to meet financial fair play regulations and so obviously a sale would make that situation a lot easier to deal with, but the reality is that we would prefer to keep our best players.
“Our fanbase doesn’t want to know that we’re just looking to cash-in on our best players because why would they then look forward with any optimism? So, what we have to do is try and get the balance right.”
He added on Scott: “Alex Scott, for instance, I think benefits greatly from another season here and next year but that’s not to say somebody won’t come in with a bid, we don’t know."
City can't afford to have a similar scenario to both Han-Noah Massengo and Famara Diedhiou's situation where two saleable assets have left or are set to leave, for nothing. Therefore with Semenyo's situation, there could be a temptation to sell during this window if a suitable offer is forthcoming.
Rangers and Crystal Palace are two other clubs who have been linked with Semenyo but there has been nothing concrete from the respective clubs. Pearson shut down reports coming out of Scotland by saying: "I’ve seen some stories about Antoine coming out of Scotland and, to my knowledge, there’s been nothing from clubs in Scotland."
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