Ruben Amorim not only wants to add quality to his Manchester United team but also raise the physical floor of the team with the current players not fit to play his high-intensity brand of football.
The head coach has made it clear to the co-owners that he is not happy with the haphazard recruitment with the team only capable of playing on the counter rather than a possession-based style.
That was evident against Arsenal on Sunday with the Portuguese admitting he was not happy to employ a low block but he had no choice but to take that route.
But ahead of next season, the former Sporting boss will be expecting wholesale changes and a versatile forward option on the club’s radar is Antoine Semenyo of Bournemouth.
Powerful star on the radar
The Ghanaian is a beast, and he made his presence felt against Amorim’s side, scoring once while running Noussair Mazraoui ragged while playing on the right wing.
The “powerful” star can also play on the left, up front if needed and even in midfield with versatility a major draw for the head coach.
The 25-year-old has nine goals and five assists this season already and CaughtOffside have claimed the 20-time English league champions are interested.
They have Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Newcastle and Napoli for company with Spurs reportedly leading the chase at the moment, hoping to conclude a deal next summer for €40 million.
“Tottenham are set to test the waters with a bid of around €40m for the transfer of in-form Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, CaughtOffside understands.
Hijack attempt
“CaughtOffside understands that other big clubs such as Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Newcastle and Napoli also like the player.”
The Cherries star wants to move to a big club and given the financial might of the big sides, Bournemouth are unlikely to be able to stop the player from leaving.
He has a contract until 2029 so the Cherries will try their best to earn as high a fee as possible for a player they bought for only €10.25 million in 2023 from Bristol City.
Semenyo fits INEOS’ recruitment model owing to being Premier League-proven while he will also not cost a bomb. Whether the Red Devils can win the race for his signature remains to be seen.
Feature image Lewis Storey via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
