English giants Manchester United did everything they could to land Ghanaian international and AFC Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, but failed, according to Duncan Castles’ The Transfers Podcast.
It is reported that United “aggressively targeted” the 25-year winger and even agreed personal terms with him, who has started the season on fire, bagging two goals and an assist in the Premier League.
Moreover, the Red Devils head coach Ruben Amorim took Semenyo out to dinner at the end of the last season in order to judge his character and meet him in person, as per source.
However, the situation quickly got complicated after Semenyo, who was keen on moving to Old Trafford, found out that the salary he had agreed with Man Utd was going to be less than 70 per cent of what they were prepared to pay Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.
Bournemouth strategically used that to convince the player to sign a new contract until 2030, with the idea that he will spend at least one more season at the Dean Court before moving on to another club.
Another obstacle turned out to be the transfer value: Man Utd would pay no more than £55 million for the player, as interest from Tottenham Hotspur had emerged. That allowed Bournemouth to “drive up their asking price” for Semenyo.
