Transfer news live: Semenyo to Man City latest, Rosenior responds to Chelsea links, Liverpool chase centre-back – UK Times

Big news for Bournemouth tonight as Antoine Semenyo, heavily tipped for a move to Man City in this transfer window, starts for the Cherries in their meeting with Arsenal.

His involvement, as promised by Andoni Iraola, means he could well hurt Arsenal’s title chances today before immediately moving to their big rivals for the Premier League trophy.

Sheffield United have confirmed that on loan duo Ben Godfrey and Louie Barry have both returned to their parent clubs after underwhelming stints at Bramall Lane.

Godfreyplayed just four times for the Blades and returns to Atalanta, whom he joined from Everton.

Barry, meanwhile, rejoins Aston Villa after making a total of nine appearances.

The Blades currently sit 15th in the Championship.

Harvey Elliott is currently not taking into consideration a move to MLS at this stage of his career as he remains in limbo at Aston Villa, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Unai Emery has stated that the Villains have no intention to play the midfielder so to avoid triggering his buy clause, while the player is not in parent club Liverpool’s plans.

Charlotte FC will wait and try to offer a loan move in the summer, but Elliott is not keen on any move as of today.

Fulham have had a bid to sign French midfielder Arthur Atta from Udinese rejected, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The offer was worth €20m but has been rebuffed by the Italian side who have no plans to sell Atta in January.

Over the last few weeks, at least five of Europe’s wealthiest clubs have been testing the waters on Bournemouth’s Semenyo. His £65m release clause came into effect on January 1, and it could well set the market in motion.

While the summer window always ends up frenetic – clubs know what they need and can act without disrupting the season – January is far less predictable. One year it’s chaotic, the next unusually quiet.

Talks have not yet been held between the clubs but the Norway international could be allowed to leave the Etihad Stadium as City look to bring in another winger, in Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo.

Bobb has made 15 appearances for City this season but, after starting the first three league games, he has only begun two more and none since October as Pep Guardiola has preferred players such as Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki.

Looking ahead to the January transfer window, Mikel Arteta confirmed the club’s intention to seek new additions, despite having spent £250m on eight summer signings.

He stated on Friday: “We are open to every option. Obviously, if we can find a solution that is short, medium or long-term, it is always much better because it gives you stability and you don’t have to start a process with a new player.

“But let’s see what happens in the next few weeks, and we’ll try to make the right decision.”

Halfway into Arne Slot’s debut campaign at Liverpool, they had 46 points and a six-point lead over rivals who had played a game more. Halfway into his sophomore season, and they are in fourth place. Is that fair? “Yeah, yeah,” Slot concurred.

It is an illustration that it has not gone entirely according to plan. Given that two-thirds of their £450m outlay went on attack-minded players, it feels an indictment that only one player has more league goals than Ryan Gravenberch or, in all competitions, than Dominik Szoboszlai.

It meant that, even though the New Year’s Day 0-0 draw with Leeds was the first goalless game of Slot’s reign, it reflected wider issues. When Hugo Ekitike, the runaway leader in the scoring charts, has an off night, it is not clear who will find the net.

If Liverpool seemed to have assembled a fab four in the summer, a quartet who threatened to be unstoppable, it has not transpired that way.

Neymar is set to sign a contract extension with Santos through to December 2026, according to The Athletic.

Neymar returned to Santos, where he began his career, in January 2025 and scored 11 goals and provided four assists in 28 appearances to help maintain the club’s top-flight status.

He underwent arthroscopy surgery on his knee in December and will now be looking to get fully fit to try and earn Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti’s favour ahead of this summer’s World Cup.

If Enzo Maresca’s last contribution as a Manchester City employee was to help them secure the treble in 2023, his most recent input to the discourse around the Etihad Stadium feels more unwelcome. The apparent indications that City’s former assistant manager had spoken to his old club about the possibility of replacing Pep Guardiola raised the issue of the Spaniard’s future.

Which has lingered in the background; as, indeed, it has for much of a reign that has extended for far longer than he originally envisaged. The Catalan shrugged off the idea his old assistant had talked to City. “Why would I give you an update about an opinion that I don’t know is about this opinion?” he said. “It’s just a rumour.”

Guardiola adopted a trademark blend of playfulness and faux arrogance. “You want to fire me?” he asked “My salary is so high, so I have one more year… I know you are bored of me, ten years here. I will leave one day, I promise. But I have a contract, I’m happy, I want to fight with my team. I like to be here.”