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Bournemouth are prepared for another twist in the race for Antoine Semenyo with Liverpool expected to rival Manchester City for his signature, despite the former Premier League champions emerging as favourites to land the sought-after attacker.

Semenyo will be available for £65million after including the clause when signing a contract last year. The Reds have yet to make their move, but have from Thursday to beat City to his signature, when a £65million release clause in the player's contract becomes active.

The Reds' sporting director Richard Hughes was at Bournemouth when Semenyo signed from Bristol City in 2023, and Liverpool are well aware of the player, reports the Telegraph.

Chelsea have already pulled out of the race, while Manchester United have also been interested in the Premier League star. It seems Liverpool may not have given up hope yet, with Hughes having previously pushed through a deal for Semenyo despite him carrying a shin injury.

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Crucially, City are currently Semenyo's preferred destination. Bournemouth are braced for more twists and turns when the window opens.

The Cherries would prefer to keep Semenyo until January 10, when the buyout expires, it is claimed. That would mean the winger could play against Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal. Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola was quizzed about Semenyo's future following their 4-1 hammering by Brentford. "No, the more games Antoine can play for us, (the better)," Iraola said/

"If he can play years for us, it's much better! If it cannot be years, it can be months. If he can only play weeks, it is weeks but the more time he plays with us, the better for us.

"Antoine's situation is quite clear. Antoine is a massive player for us and even in games like today where probably he hasn’t played well, he is always a threat to score and assist.

"Obviously I don't want to lose him. This is quite clear, but there are some situations that are not under my control. He will be available to play again in three days [versus Chelsea] and then the next one and I hope he plays a lot more with us."

In contrast, Semenyo is said to want to complete a deal at the soonest opportunity. It remains to be seen if Liverpool can change that.

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