Arsenal revealed as Antoine Semenyo's preferred transfer destination but Gunners set to miss out on forward after summer enquiry

Premier League heavyweights Liverpool were the rumoured frontrunners for Semenyo earlier in the year as they looked to reinforce their frontline further. The Reds invested heavily in attack over the summer, signing Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz from Newcastle, Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen, respectively.

Liverpool were expected to accelerate their interest in Semenyo following Isak's ankle fracture in the 2-1 win over Tottenham last weekend. However, the defending champions opted against moving for the Cherries star.

Chelsea were briefly in the race to land Semenyo, while Tottenham, who were linked with the 25-year-old over the summer, were rejected early on by the Ghana international. Manchester United had also hoped to land the forward but it's Manchester City who are now expected to win the race to sign Semenyo in January.

City are set to trigger the £65m release clause in the contract Semenyo signed earlier in the year, though the Cityzens need to trigger said clause by January 10th to give Bournemouth ample time to land a replacement.

Arsenal were also tentatively linked with Semenyo and the player would have made the move to the Gunners had the north London side made their move for the player according to transfer guru David Ornstein. Arsenal spoke with Semenyo's representatives but decided against lodging a bid for the player, even though they would have won the race for the Cherries star.

The Premier League leaders are open to selling Brazilian Gabriel Martinelli in January, and his exit would have paved the way for Semenyo to move to the Emirates. "There is a feeling Arsenal would have ranked as his first choice had they been firmly at the table, although many tipped Liverpool to prevail given their stuttering title defence, the uncertainty around Mohamed Salah, and Anfield sporting director Richard Hughes having originally recruited him to Bournemouth." Ornstein said. 

"Tottenham tried again, proposing a highly competitive salary, only for Semenyo to politely decline their advances and that resulted in City and United then emerging as the leading contenders."

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Semenyo himself is an Arsenal fan, having revealed his support for the Gunners in an interview with the Athletic last year. "I am an Arsenal fan," Semenyo admitted. "I don’t conflict the two with my job. It is great to play against Arsenal, a team I have watched all my life, and I want to play for the top clubs as well. In order for that to happen, I need to prove it."

The left flank has been something of a problem position for Arsenal this season, with no fewer than four players used in the role. However, the north London side, who were incredibly active over the summer, are unlikely to go on another spending splurge in the New Year and had hoped to wait until the end of the season to move for Semenyo. 

Even as he closes in on a move to Manchester City, Semenyo is expected to feature for Bournemouth when they make the trip to Brentford on Saturday afternoon. The Cherries are unbeaten in three ahead of their game in the capital, though a 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Burnley last weekend means the south coast side are now winless in eight following a bright start to the season.

Semenyo himself is looking to add to his commendable goal haul having recently ended a seven-game goalless run with a strike in the 4-4 draw with Manchester United. The wideman followed up his effort at Old Trafford with his eighth goal of the season in last week's stalemate against the Clarets.