Man City close in on Antoine Semenyo transfer as Bournemouth star's agents meet with club to finalise £65m January transfer

Six months ago, it did not look like Semenyo would be going anywhere. The 25-year-old signed a five-year deal with Bournemouth until 2030 and gave a glowing review of the club.

After penning his new contract, he said: "I've grown so much at the club, both on and off the pitch, and I'm really happy to have signed ahead of returning for pre-season. From the fans to the staff and my teammates, I can't speak highly enough of the people around the club. It's a great place to be and I'm excited to get back to Bournemouth and continue the hard work with the new season just around the corner."

Bournemouth's president of football operations, Tiago Pinto, added that Semenyo had been "crucial" to the south coast club's progress and was a "key member" of their ongoing project.

He said, "We have a great relationship with Antoine and we're looking forward to continuing that as we hope to build on a record-breaking season. His commitment to the club matches our ambition and I'm excited to see what can be achieved as we prepare for the new campaign."

Fast forward to the end of December, and things appear to have changed a great deal.

Bournemouth made a superb start to the season, even reaching as high as second in the Premier League table. However, after a wretched run of form, they are now down in 15th and haven't won any of their last five league matches. In spite of that, the Ghana international has scored eight goals and added three assists in 17 matches. That, and more, is why Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola wants to keep the flying winger.

He said last week, "No, the more games Antoine can play for us, [the better]. If he can play years for us, it's much better! If it cannot be years, it can be months. If he can only play weeks, it is weeks but the more time he plays with us, the better for us. Antoine's situation is quite clear. Antoine is a massive player for us and even in games like today where probably he hasn't played well, he is always a threat to score and assist. Obviously, I don't want to lose him. This is quite clear, but there are some situations that are not under my control. He will be available to play again in three days [versus Chelsea] and then the next one and I hope he plays a lot more with us."

Despite interest from Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester United, and Chelsea, City look set to win this transfer race for the 25-year-old. Semenyo is said to want his Cherries future resolved by the first day of the January transfer window and now Sky Sports claim that his representatives will press ahead with trying to agree personal terms with City and to finalise contract terms ahead of a possible £65m transfer. Pep Guardiola's side are reportedly the only club to have contacted the Dorset outfit about his release clause as the title challengers push ahead with an eye-catching move.

If City are able to get this deal over the line, Semenyo could play his last Bournemouth game on Tuesday away to Chelsea. City are next in action on 1 January as they visit Sunderland, followed by a home clash against Chelsea three days later. If negotiations progress quickly, the ex-Bristol City man could be in place for one of those matches.