Antoine Semenyo was supposedly going to be following Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez and Ilia Zabarnyi out of the Dean Court revolving door this summer.

But whilst Huijsen has secured his move to Real Madrid and has already made an impact for his new club at the FIFA Club World Cup and Kerkez has enjoyed a pool party celebrating his move to Liverpool. Both Semenyo and Zabarnyi remain on the south coast.

Zabarnyi has been heavily linked with a move to UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, whilst Semenyo has been linked with Premier League champions Liverpool, UEFA Europa League winners Tottenham and Manchester United in recent months.

Semenyo enjoyed a sensational 2024/25 Premier League campaign, scoring 11 goals and claiming 5 assists from 37 appearances.

AFC Bournemouth had placed a reported £70 million price tag on the 25-year-old’s head, but seemingly in the background had been working away to convince the Ghana international to stay with the Cherries.

That move has proved successful with Semenyo signing a brand new five-year contract, until the end of the 2029/30 campaign.

Speaking to afcb.co.uk, Semenyo said…

“I’ve grown so much at the club, both on and off the pitch, and I’m really happy to have signed ahead of returning for pre-season.

“From the fans to the staff and my teammates, I can’t speak highly enough of the people around the club. It’s a great place to be and I’m excited to get back to Bournemouth and continue the hard work with the new season just around the corner.”  

Your say…

Kirsikka posted…

Excellent! Signed a new deal last summer and another new one this year. It’s almost like when we gave out 12 month contracts every year. Only… not the same at all.

Core to AI’s approach so fantastic to have him secured. If Spurs et al want him now they’re going to have to seriously pony up.

Transfer news latest as Aston Villa and AFC Bournemouth battle for the same promising transfer target.

Aston Villa are reportedly leading the race to sign a promising central defender but face competition from Premier League rivals AFC Bournemouth.

Unai Emery is eager to bring in several first-team-ready recruits this summer but that doesn’t mean the aim to sign young talent hasn’t gone out of the window entirely. The recent acquisition of 19-year-old forward Zepiqueno Redmond proved just that, while more promising players are soon to be targeted.

French publication L’Equipe reports Toulouse centre-back Jaydee Canvot is one of those being eyed. Villa are said to be in pole position to land the 18-year-old, who recently enjoyed his breakthrough in the Toulouse senior team.

Canvot, a current France U19 international, racked up 18 appearances in Ligue 1 last campaign, starting 12 of those games. That’s quite the feat for a player who hadn’t played a senior game before last September. He’s also fairly versatile as he can play as a defensive midfielder if need be. That’s a quality Emery really admires.

Bournemouth also in race to sign defender

Villa may be the favourites to sign Canvot but that doesn’t mean they’re the only ones vying for his signature. Le Parisien reported last month that Bournemouth are in the picture for Canvot as they’ve been keeping close tabs on his situation and have already made contact with Toulouse to register their interest.

It could be a tricky decision for Canvot if he has the choice of the two clubs. Although Villa are a bigger club and have the allure of Europa League status, Bournemouth may be able to provide more immediate game time due to Dean Huijsen’s departure for Real Madrid and Ilya Zabarnyi’s likely exit, potentially for Paris Saint-Germain.