'I'm in love with the squad we have' - Enzo Maresca responds to Antoine Semenyo transfer talk after Chelsea drop out of race to land £65m Bournemouth star

Semenyo has scored eight goals and provided an additional three assists for Bournemouth in the Premier League this season, and his performances under Andoni Iraola have seen the 25-year-old heavily linked with a Vitality Stadium exit in recent months. The Cherries managed to tie Semenyo down to a five-year deal earlier in the year in order to ward off interest from the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham, who opted to instead pursue Bryan Mbeumo and Mohammed Kudus, respectively.

However, the contract included a £65m release clause, which can be activated next month until January 10th to give Bournemouth a chance to sign a replacement before the February 2nd transfer deadline. England's elite sides have been closely monitoring the Ghanaian forward ahead of a move next month, with Liverpool, Manchester City, United and Spurs all credited with an interest in Semenyo.

Chelsea, too, were briefly linked with a move for the Cherries ace, before opting against firming up a move for Semenyo, and ahead of Saturday's welcome of high-flying Aston Villa, Blues boss Enzo Maresca has addressed speculation linking his side with a move for the Ghanaian. 

Maresca was asked about Semenyo in his pre-Villa press conference on Wednesday, to which the Italian replied: "I'm focused about Aston Villa. I'm not focused on players that can arrive or players that can leave. The only focus for me is the Villa game that for sure will be a tough game because they are doing fantastic and we need to be focused on that.

The Chelsea boss went on to profess his 'love' for his squad, adding: "Again, I know that I repeat ever press conference exactly the same. Before Newcastle I spoke about my relationship with the club and I said that it's good. I spoke about Estevao and Delap back and now I need to repeat. I need to speak about wide players. Before Newcastle I said I'm in love with the squad we have and I don't think we need to do something. And the next time I will answer the same again."

The Blues will hope to close the gap to third-placed Villa to four points when they welcome the Villans to Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening. That'll prove easier said than done with Unai Emery's side presently on a seven-game winning run following their 2-1 victory over Manchester United on Sunday.

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Chelsea, meanwhile, are one of a number of Premier League sides that look set to miss out on Semenyo, with the Bournemouth star believed to favour a switch to City next month. The Cityzens are expected to firm up their interest in Semenyo over the coming days, though reports suggests that City do need to sell before they can fund a move for the forward.

Forwards Savinho, Omar Marmoush and Oscar Bobb are all believed to be available in the New Year with the trio expected to find playing time limited should Semenyo complete his move to the Etihad Stadium. Savinho is again being linked with a move to Tottenham despite putting pen to paper on a new deal with the Etihad Stadium earlier in the year.

The Brazilian was wanted by Spurs over the summer as the north London side sought to bring in a new left winger. Marmoush, who is with with the Egypt squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, has struggled for minutes under Guardiola this season, while Bobb is another who could yet leave the Manchester powerhouse.

After Saturday's welcome of Villa, Chelsea see out 2025 with the welcome of Bournemouth, in what may be Semenyo's final game for the Cherries. Incidentally, if the deal is completed in time, Semenyo's City debut could come against Chelsea next month.

Maresca's side have a hectic January ahead of them with their Carabao semi-final opponent confirmed on Tuesday night after Arsenal booked their place in the next round of the competition as they beat Crystal Palace on penalties at the Emirates Stadium. Former Blues man Kepa was the hero for the Gunners as the Arsenal shotstopper saved Maxence Lacroix's spot kick to set up a semi-final showdown with Chelsea.