Why Chelsea could change their January transfer strategy for Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo
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Chelsea have entered the race for Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo after making an enquiry about conditions for a possible deal for the winger, according to reports.
Earlier reports suggest that Chelsea do not plan on making any major signings in the January transfer window and will instead focus on bolstering the squad in the summer, but this might have changed the situation.
Semenyo's case is quite unique, and this could be the reason Chelsea have tweaked their initial reported plans.
According to Sky Sports, Chelsea have made an enquiry for the Bournemouth winger and joined other clubs, including Manchester City, Manchester United, and Liverpool, in the race for his signature.
"It's not often that you get a player as good as Semenyo, who's available with a release clause in January," Sky Sports' Kaveh Solhekol said about Chelsea's recent move.
"The release clause we're led to believe is around £60m and is valid until the middle of January.
"We weren't expecting Chelsea to be very busy during this upcoming transfer window, but I think it's just the situation where the player is so exceptional, and he's available at what many people would say a reasonable fee."
As Solhekol pointed out, this might be the case of Chelsea not wanting to miss out on Semenyo rather than a need for an additional winger mid-season.
Bear in mind that Chelsea already have Pedro Neto, Estevao, Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens, and Tyrique George as winger options.
Solhekol, however, also mentioned that the player "would find it difficult" to turn down Liverpool if they were to make a move for the 25-year-old.
If, as reported, Semenyo has a release clause active until mid-January, that means instead of bidding wars in transfer fees, clubs will likely have to outbid each other in what they can offer the player, particularly contract-wise.
Semenyo has so far made 16 appearances for Bournemouth in the Premier League, in which he has already racked up eight goals and three assists.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.