Bristol City might get £11 million early in the January transfer window, according to a new update on Antoine Semenyo’s Bournemouth release clause.
It has been widely reported that the Robins agreed to a 20% sell-on clause for any profit made on the £10 million sale of the Ghanaian international in January 2023.
Then, when Semenyo signed a new contract at the Vitality Stadium this summer, it featured a £65 million release clause that could be triggered in January.
According to Ben Jacobs and Alex Crook of talkSPORT, this condition is only effective for the first 10 days of the month, and Jacobs adds that the 25-year-old’s winter exit “looks likely”.
If that transaction is completed in the first few days of the window, Bristol City will receive a large sum of money, giving them the rest of the month to spend in their own squad.
More release clause information released for Antoine Semenyo’s contract, and what that implies for Bristol City.
In mid-November, it was discovered that Semenyo’s new deal with Bournemouth had a £65 million release clause.
The 25-year-old had a fantastic start to the 2025/26 season, helping the Cherries win five of their first nine games, scoring six goals and assisting three others.
However, when the specifics of his release clause were released, Bournemouth and Semenyo were in a downturn, and financial advisors indicated that a trade would not be risked in January.
However, two goals in his previous two outings have sparked interest, with Sky Sports suggesting that, following Alexander Isak’s injury, both Manchester clubs and Liverpool are keen in bringing Semenyo on board next month.
If they want to sign the 25-year-old, they’ll need to act soon because the £65 million release clause is only applicable for the first ten days of January, according to Ben Jacobs. Following that, the Cherries can turn down any advances and keep the dynamic wideman on their roster until the summer.
The logic behind this is to allow Andoni Iraola’s side to find a replacement, but it also benefits Bristol City, who will receive £11 million from the transfer, thanks to the 20% sell-on clause they included in the deal from Ashton Gate over two years ago.
That eight-figure sum will require a significant commitment from the Robins, both off and on the field.
£11 million Antoine Semenyo’s windfall could not come at a better time for Bristol City.
Bristol City would not only earn a figure that would exceed the majority of their record player sales via Semenyo’s sell-on fee, but they would also receive the money in plenty of time to invest in the squad in January.
Gerhard Struber’s side is expected to be busy next month, regardless of the cash windfall, given the Robins were rather quiet during the last summer transfer window.
Furthermore, the sheer amount of injuries sustained by the squad in the first half of the season necessitates the addition of more players in January.
They’ve already gotten off to a good start with the free agent signing of Sam Morsy, and his promotion history indicates that Bristol City’s management will be looking for clear improvements to assist the club return to the play-offs.
Despite the short-handed team, Gerhard Struber has kept his Robins competitive, as they enter the Christmas holiday two points behind the play-offs and nine behind the top two.
A good winter window, bolstered by £11 million in Steve Lansdown’s wallet early in January, may see them consolidate their place in the top six, with an eye on potentially breaking into the automatic promotion places come May.
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