Former Liverpool and Manchester United striker Paul Ince has urged Antoine Semenyo to hold out until the summer transfer window rather than move from Bournemouth in January. The 58-year-old believes a top-four finish in the Premier League will determine which of his former clubs wins this battle.
Semenyo, 25, has flourished under manager Andoni Iraola and has scored 18 goals and provided eight assists in the top flight since the start of the 2024-25 season. His impressive form has sparked speculation about his departure in the winter, with Liverpool reportedly among several clubs monitoring his situation, with a release clause reportedly set at £65m.
Despite this, the player has been warned not to make hasty decisions during the current campaign.
“I’m surprised Liverpool or Manchester United didn’t sign Antoine Semenyo at the beginning of the season because he’s a top player,” Ince told Covers.com’s World Cup betting team.
“He should wait until the summer transfer window to transfer. January is not the best time to transfer and clubs often don’t like to part ways with players mid-season.
“However, I don’t see him staying beyond the summer. Bournemouth are good at sourcing players from all over the world, but at the end of the day they are always a selling club.
“He will have a lot of options. He also has all the attributes to develop further. As we have seen so far this year, he is great with both feet, strong and fast and can score a lot of goals.”
Liverpool currently sit in seventh place in the Premier League standings. Mohamed Salah’s future at Anfield beyond January remains uncertain, with Kodi Gakpo’s recent injury further highlighting the Reds’ attacking concerns, while speculation has emerged over a link to Semenyo.
The Merseyside club are level on points with arch-rivals United in sixth place and started the season looking to qualify for Europe in Ruben Amorim’s first full season in charge.
The Old Trafford outfit have been linked with the Ghanaian forward as well. Ince believes the club that can guarantee football in next season’s Champions League will emerge victorious.
“In terms of whether he moves to Liverpool or Manchester United, it depends on who can finish in the top four and look forward to Champions League football next season,” he added.
“If I were in his shoes, I would stay at Bournemouth until the end of the season for now and see which team finishes in the top four.”
Meanwhile, Iraola gave an insight into how Semenyo dealt with transfer rumors surrounding his future.
“When you hear your name on the news every day, it’s clear that you have to deal with these situations,” he said. “But I think he’s committed and I don’t see much change in him.”
