The race to sign Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo has taken a dramatic new twist, with widespread reports confirming a £65 million ($85.4 million) release clause is in his contract for the January transfer window.
The Ghanaian international has become one of the most coveted players in the Premier League following a sustained period of excellent form on the south coast. Semenyo has scored six goals in 11 Premier League outings in 2025–26—only Erling Haaland (14) and Igor Thiago (eight) have more.
Semenyo opted against moving to potential suitors that included Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in the summer, instead signing a new contract with Bournemouth. The ink is still fresh on the forward’s new five-year deal, but adding a release clause was a key element of his renewal.
The Athletic report that any interested party can attain Semenyo for £65 million in January—a lofty yet manageable amount for big clubs considering the spend of European football’s elite over the past few transfer windows.
The release clause becomes active in January but must be triggered at an undisclosed date of the month, allowing the Cherries time to source and sign a suitable replacement.
Only days ago, Bournemouth general manager Tim Bezbatchenko publicly stated “who are we to say, ‘No, you can‘t go, you can‘t fulfil your dream,’” regarding Semenyo’s potential opportunity to join a big European club.
ANALYSIS: Semenyo Transfer Could be Postponed Until Summer 2026
The January transfer window often forces clubs to pay at a premium price if they want reinforcements, given it’s a shorter window and the season is at its halfway point. The same would be the case with Semenyo, so teams could be incentivised to wait another six months to sign him at a lower cost.
Yet, given the interest Semenyo generated last summer, clubs could instead try to poach him away from Bournemouth as soon as possible to avoid any potential bidding war or missing out him on entirely. Because of this scenario, a change of scenery for Semenyo in January is a real possibility.
The talented forward, who can operate on either flank and through the middle, also bagged three assists in the opening seven games of the Premier League campaign, but his form has slowed up late with Bournemouth slipping to ninth in the table after a couple of bad results.
Semenyo has proclaimed that he’s “enjoying every moment” at Bournemouth, but with interest in his services growing rather than diminishing, it may not be long until the Cherries enjoy another windfall similar to the one they received when Dominic Solanke left to join Tottenham Hotspur in a deal that could eventually be worth £65 million.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Antoine Semenyo Could Be the Biggest Story of the January Transfer Window.
