Who Antoine Semenyo really supports as Arsenal and Chelsea transfer claims made

Antoine Semenyo appears destined to leave Bournemouth in the January and complete a transfer to one of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City or Manchester United

With so many Premier League clubs chasing the signature of Antoine Semenyo, it is not known where he will end up at the end of the January transfer window, and it seems to be equally unclear which team he supports.

The Bournemouth star has taken the Premier League by storm this season with his previously erratic shooting in the final third no longer on show. Semenyo has scored eight goals and grabbed three assists from 16 appearances which has seen interest in acquiring his services ramp up.

Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City have all been heavily linked, but it looks as though only three clubs remain in the race.

That is because he has turned down joining Spurs, while the Gunners are unlikely to make a serious move for him in January, which is when Semenyo would like to leave. However, it now looks as though Chelsea have joined the battle with an enquiry made and conditions for a possible deal looked at, according to Sky Sports.

The Blues could very easily become favourites for Semenyo with a clip emerging where he described Chelsea as "we" when remembering an iconic goal scored by Didier Drogba

However, it seems as though that was a slip of the tongue with Semenyo, who has been spotted at Emirates Stadium, having also explicitly confirmed that he supports Arsenal.

He told The Athletic in 2024: “I am an Arsenal fan. I don’t conflict the two with my job. It is great to play against Arsenal, a team I have watched all my life and I want to play for the top clubs as well. In order for that to happen I need to prove it.”

When asked if joining the Gunners would be his dream, Semenyo added: “Yeah, any team that plays Champions League, Europa (League) — that’s the aim. I know that’s not going to come with a click of my fingers, it’s going to take some time.

"It’s going to take goals. It’s going to take a lot of consistent performances. But I’ve worked all my life for that and I’m just going to continue working hard. That’s my mentality.”

Semenyo looks to have the pick of three teams in the Champions League with the £65million release clause in his contract needing to be activated during the first part of January. Following several impressive displays, the Cherries appear to have accepted he will leave with Andoni Iraola unable to state that won't be the case.

He said at a press conference: "At the end, in the situation, myself as a coach, I don’t control. When you sign a contract, I understand both parties are happy when you sign it.

"But me as a coach, I can only tell you I hope we don’t lose him, because he is very important for us. But I don’t know what is going to happen."