Could we see a pair of intra-Premier League transfers very early in the January transfer window? Crystal Palace and Manchester City hope so.
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Spurs forward Brennan Johnson and Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo are being linked with big money moves on Tuesday that could shake-up the attacks of three European competitors and leave a fourth PL club with a huge hole.
Here’s the latest on the moves, which may come down to the players rather than the clubs.
Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City
The rich may be getting richer, as Sky Sports is reporting that Manchester City is close to finalizing a deal to trigger Antoine Semenyo’s $88 million release clause from Bournemouth. The report says there’s no rush to finalize the deal with his release clause not active until January 1 and “no other club expected to intervene at this late stage.”
Semenyo, who turns 26 on January 7, reportedly wants his future sorted early in the January transfer window if he’s going to move in season, and City have set the table for his signature by agreeing a deal with the Cherries.
The Ghanaian has nine goals and three assists in 1,529 minutes this season, and would give valuable cover to City at so many positions. He would also immediately be thrust into his first title and Champions League races. The Chelsea-born winger is in the middle of a career year after scoring eight PL goals in 2023-24 and 11 last season.
The early agreement would also be a favor to Bournemouth, who will have the month to find a replacement or three. They’ve slumped into 15th on the table with 22 points, nine points above the bottom three and just five off of eighth.
Remarkably, Bournemouth had reportedly targeted Johnson while Leicester City’s Abdul Fatawu — a fellow Ghanaian — has also seen his name in the news after returning from an ACL injury to score four times with seven assists for the Foxes in the Championship this season,.
Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace
Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly agreed a $48 million fee to sell out-of-favor winger Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace, according to multiple reports, but now await the player’s decision.
Spurs boss Thomas Frank refused to comment on the player’s future and indicated he’s in contention to play this week versus Brentford.
“He contributed to a very good and important win against Crystal Palace,” Frank said. “He trained very well today. I expect him fully to be available and able to play against Brentford.”
Johnson, 24, would swap London sides and move from a Champions League race to a Conference League fight. Palace won the FA Cup last season, while Johnson was a big part of Spurs’ Europa League triumph.
His contract with Spurs runs through the 2027-28 season, but Johnson’s played just 907 minutes under Thomas Frank across 21 matches in all competitions. He has four goals, a bit of a surprise given he bagged 18 goals and seven assists last season including the lone goal in the UEL final triumph over Manchester United.
It’s a strange one for Spurs, to be honest, but perhaps this is a “rock/hard place” situation if Frank’s not going to use to Johnson more and also not about to skip town. Spurs could surely use the money to find a player who better fits Frank’s desires... if they’re planning to stick with the boss.
