Newcastle United were admirers of Antoine Semenyo in the summer, and now the winger is set to be available.
It has been reported that Antoine Semenyo has a £65million release clause that becomes active in January, which could swing the door wide open for him to leave Bournemouth.
That will make him appealing to a lot of clubs, especially given how well he did last season and how he has started the new campaign. It also represents a discount, as Bournemouth wanted £70million for Semenyo in the summer.
That price tag saw Newcastle United sign Anthony Elanga instead, but could the Swede’s struggles see the Magpies go back in for Semenyo? According to David Ornstein, probably not.
Newcastle United not in the race to sign Antoine Semenyo
Ornstein has been speaking about Semenyo’s future on the latest episode of the Athletic FC podcast.
He was asked if Newcastle United are in the conversation to secure the 25-year-old’s signature.
“Newcastle are hugely ambitious, as per their ownership and their manager, Eddie Howe,” he said.
“They’ve got Champions League football. They want to be winning more trophies after their League Cup success last time round.
“They did strengthen in the wide area with Anthony Elanga on the right side, and that was their priority. They’ve still, of course, got Anthony Gordon to the left. Semenyo is not a name I’ve heard in their sphere so far, and Newcastle, we know, have had to be really careful on the finances.
“They came so close to the edge, which led them to the sale of Yankuba Minteh and also Elliot Anderson. How they, I’m sure, would be ruing that. They seem to have balanced out quite well with the departure of Alexander Isak, but they spent quite heavily on Nick Woltemade.
“So I’m not sure how the finances would work right now with Newcastle. But moreover, I’m not hearing them as, at this moment in time, being in the frame for Semenyo.”
Which position should Newcastle United look to strengthen in January?
The fact Newcastle United are not in the running should not come as a major surprise. As Ornstein says, they already have Anthony Gordon on the left, while the hope will be that Anthony Elanga comes good on the right.
On top of that, the Magpies have other priorities in January. Newcastle are targeting a midfielder and a full-back, as they attempt to beef up a squad that is being stretched very far.
While Semenyo would be an outstanding addition to the Newcastle United squad, Eddie Howe’s January ambitions lie elsewhere.
Eddie Howe has only signed one Bournemouth player for Newcastle United
Throughout Eddie Howe’s tenure as Newcastle United manager, he has been linked with signing multiple players from his former club.
There is this misconception that he prefers players he has worked with before, and Ornstein has questioned the optics of him signing ‘another player from Bournemouth’ in Semenyo.
“I don’t know what comes from an optical point of view on Eddie Howe potentially signing another player from Bournemouth,” he said.
“Personally, I wouldn’t care because Antoine Semenyo is so good.
“Let’s see, it wouldn’t surprise you if others came into the mix, but certainly the industry is telling us so far that if there’s to be a move, it’s sounding more like a Liverpool, Man City, Tottenham direction of travel, subject to change.”
Newcastle United’s top ten biggest signings ever
If Newcastle did sign Semenyo from Bournemouth, he would be just the second Cherries player who Howe has brought in since arriving at St James’ Park. The only player he has signed from Bournemouth so far is Lloyd Kelly, who has already left the club for Juventus.
However, there have been plenty of rumours and attempts from Newcastle to sign players from Bournemouth. Dean Huijsen was a major Newcastle target before his move to Real Madrid, while there was also interest in Illia Zabarnyi.
Elsewhere, the likes of Dominic Solanke and Justin Kluivert have been on the Magpies’ radar in recent years.
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