According to reports, Manchester United want to sign Antoine Semenyo from Premier League rivals AFC Bournemouth as they have ‘doubts’ about a current star.
Semenyo has been one of the standout performers in the Premier League this season, grabbing seven goals and three assists in his 15 appearances for Bournemouth.
The 25-year-old is expected to leave Bournemouth in January as his £65m release clause, which reduces to £50m in the summer, becomes active next month.
He is also well-placed to secure a move to a Big Six club, with recent reports indicating Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool, and Spurs are vying for his signature.
The Red Devils were linked with Semenyo in the summer, but they were priced out of an £80m move for the winger and opted to sign Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha instead.
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However, they remain keen on signing Semenyo as his release clause makes him a more affordable option, with it suggested that he could fit into Ruben Amorim’s preferred system as a wing-back.
A new report from The Sun claims Man Utd are ‘weighing up’ a move for Semenyo in January, as they have ‘doubts’ about Patrick Dorgu.
Dorgu joined Man Utd during this year’s winter transfer window for around £29m, but he has struggled for the Premier League giants over the past few months.
The 21-year-old is still pretty raw and his performances have been inconsistent for Man Utd, with Amorim often preferring Diogo Dalot at left wing-back this season.
The report from The Sun says Semenyo is their ‘prime target’ to be an upgrade on Dorgu, with it felt that he is the ‘ideal profile’ to fix the ‘problem position’.
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Regarding Dorgu, the report adds: ‘Well-placed sources believe United have overexposed Dorgu as he should have been recruited as a squad player.
‘Another United source suggested Dorgu had been “ruined” by a chastening first-year experience at Old Trafford.’
In a recent interview, Amorim revealed he is aware that Dorgu has been playing for Man Utd with “anxiety”.
“When I see them training they are doing so much better than in games,” Amorim revealed.
“Then Patrick, when I see him playing for the national team, he’s scored a great goal against Scotland [this month], the decision that he made under pressure was completely different [to calmly sidefoot home] to the decision[s] he’s making in our team.
“You can feel the anxiety every time Patrick touches the ball. I can feel it, the anxiety.”