"Last 48 hours": Man Utd have now contacted to sign £65m star who has won 6.6 duels/game

Manchester United have had a good first half to the Premier League season, and they are presently two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

The Red Devils are right in the Champions League race and need more consistency in results to break and cement their place in the top four.

The club could make fresh investment at the turn of the year, and Fabrizio Romano has provided an interesting update on his YouTube channel.

The reputed journalist said that the situation is ‘heating’ up for Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, and Tottenham Hotspur are ‘really interested’ in him.

However, he added that United and Manchester City have contacted the Cherries over the ‘last 48 hours’ to understand the situation. Liverpool are keen too.

The Ghanaian star will make the final decision over his future. He has a release clause worth £65 million in his contract, valid for the first 10 days of January.

Romano said: “For Semenyo, the situation is really heating up. Tottenham are really interested in Semenyo, but this depends on what the player wants to do.

“This week, Manchester United and Manchester City called to understand the situation of Semenyo.

“From Monday to Tuesday, some calls took place from Man United and Man City to understand the situation of Semenyo, who has a £65 million release clause.

“These clubs all called. Liverpool called in November and are now assessing what they want to do, both in January and with Mo Salah, before deciding on Semenyo.

“Man City and Man United have been in contact, but Man United have already invested in Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, and so we have to see what they can do in terms of the £65m release clause, but the final decision is with the player.

“More than money, more than financial fair play, it’s the player who is deciding. City and United both called in the last 48 hours.”

United should go all-out for Semenyo in January

The Ghana international has had a good league campaign thus far, scoring seven goals and providing three assists from 15 appearances.

Semenyo recently went on a six-game run without a goal contribution, but made amends by scoring against United in a 4-4 draw this week.

The 25-year-old netted from a tight angle, cutting inside from the right wing, but he has been equally impressive from the opposite flank (three goals).

Semenyo won eight duels against the Red Devils on Monday night. Overall, he has won an average of 6.6 duels during the ongoing league season.

In our view, he is the perfect acquisition for United at the turn of the year if the club want to make a serious push for Champions League football.

Semenyo could provide fierce competition to Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Mason Mount among others for the attacking midfield positions in the 3-4-2-1 system.

He has the knack for making goal contributions and has a shot-to-goal conversion rate of 20 percent, much higher than Mbeumo this campaign (14 percent).

United manager Ruben Amorim had a personal meeting with Semenyo last summer, but a move fell through after the winger realised that he would earn less than Cunha and Mbeumo.

The Red Devils were only willing to pay 70 per cent of what Cunha and Mbeumo would earn. Semenyo has again proved his credentials in the league. The club could meet his demands this time.

It appears a no-brainer decision to sign the Cherries star, but United are unlikely to afford his £65m release clause in one go.

A deal may only go through if the club pay the fee in instalments to avoid breaching the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

PSR will remain in effect until the end of the 2025/26 season. The Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) and Sustainability & Systemic Resilience (SSR) will replace PSR after June.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com

Article written by Sri Aswin .