Antoine Semenyo is set to leave Bournemouth in January and is reportedly aiming to sign for Manchester City. However, the winger will be dealt an immediate blow at the Etihad Stadium as he is unable to obtain the number 24 shirt he wears with the Cherries.
Semenyo has been at the Vitality Stadium since joining Bournemouth from Bristol City in early 2023, scoring 30 goals and providing 13 assists in 106 appearances for the Dorset club. The player has a £65m release clause in his Cherries contract which can be triggered next month, and Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea are said to be interested in signing him. However, the 25-year-old plans to downplay these clubs in favor of a move to City.
Semenyo has exclusively worn the number 24 shirt since arriving at Bournemouth, and has produced some of the best performances of his career in that shirt.
Despite becoming a star player for Bournemouth, he has not switched to a new jersey number in recent years, suggesting he is quite fond of the kit.
However, if he moves to City, he will no longer have the number 24 jersey, as Josko Gvardiol wore it when he joined Citizens from RB Leipzig two-and-a-half years ago.
Therefore, if Semenyo decides to sign with the eight-time Premier League champions, he will have to choose a different shirt number.
And he was able to choose shirt number 42, which he wore at Bristol City and also chose during loan spells at Newport and Sunderland. Another option is the number 12 shirt.
Bournemouth have endured a downturn in their fortunes in recent months, picking up just four points from their last eight Premier League games.
As a result, they lost to Manchester City, Aston Villa, Sunderland and Everton, dropping from second to 15th place.
The south coast side will travel to Brentford on Saturday to resume action. Ahead of the match, Cherries manager Andoni Iraola explained Semenyo’s future as follows:
“There are circumstances beyond our control, but at the moment Antoine is our player and will continue to play for us.
“If you ask me, I don’t want to lose him, I never want to lose him. But like we always say, every time the market opens, you never know what’s going to happen.”
