According to The Sun, Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo would be more tempted to join Arsenal in January despite the transfer interest from Tottenham Hotspur.
The 25-year-old has had a good start to the Premier League season. He has accumulated 6 goals and 3 assists from 14 appearances, but it is uncertain whether he will stay with the Cherries beyond this winter.
The versatile winger has a release clause worth £65 million in his contract signed last summer, and any interested club can trigger the buy-out clause during the first 10 days of January, as per The Sun.
Spurs are hot on the trail of Semenyo and seem keen on pairing him with Ghanaian compatriot Mohammed Kudus in attack. However, the player has reservations over a potential switch to Thomas Frank’s side.
He was also hesitant about joining the north Londoners last summer and it is claimed that he would be more tempted to join one of Arsenal, Liverpool or Manchester City at the halfway stage of the campaign.
The attacker could also stay with the Cherries before securing a summer move elsewhere.
Premier League proven
Spurs are yearning for a top-class left winger in the squad. Semenyo has proven his credentials in the Premier League for the last few years and could make an immediate impact if he were to join at the turn of the year.
Apart from his goal contributions, the Ghanaian has won almost 2 dribbles per game alongside 6 duels and 5 recoveries. He does not shy away from challenges and has made close to 2 tackles on average this campaign.
Semenyo, hailed as ‘world-class‘ by teammate Justin Kluivert, does not view Spurs as his first-choice to join in January. Arsenal are mentioned as potential suitors, but a deal could be difficult to pull off, given they spent more than £250 million last summer.
The budget could be limited as they may not want to breach the Profit and Sustainability Rules. Arsenal are unlikely to trigger and pay the clause in one go and it may require staggered payments for a transfer to go through.
The Cherries are being dragged into a potential relegation battle amid their poor run of league form and could be reluctant to negotiate payment terms until the summer. Hence, Arsenal may not make an approach for Semenyo.
It may also require one of the left-sided wingers in Leandro Trossard or Gabriel Martinelli heading for an exit. The duo have 17 goal contributions for the campaign, and Arsenal may not want to replace either this winter.
