Manchester United and Liverpool target Antoine Semenyo was left out of the Bournemouth squad for the Cherries' Premier League encounter with West Ham on Saturday after failing to recover from an ankle injury. The winger aggravated a ligament strain while playing for Ghana over the international break.

Semenyo has been one of the best players in the Premier League this season and has already racked up six goals and three assists in the top flight.

On the opening night of the season, he bagged a brace during Bournemouth's 4-2 defeat at Liverpool. And he also scored twice in his side's 3-1 victory over Fulham in October following strikes against Brighton and Leeds.

Semenyo joined up with the Ghana squad earlier this month as his national team travelled to Asia for back-to-back friendlies against Japan and South Korea.

The 25-year-old started as a lone striker in the first match against Japan as he captained his country, but was substituted just before the hour mark. He then returned to England as he was forced to miss the clash with South Korea.

And ahead of Bournemouth's match against West Ham, Cherries boss Andoni Iraola explained: "Antoine is different. Justin [Kluivert] and Ben [Gannon-Doak] have muscle injuries and Antoine's was not something new that happened when he was there.

"He was already dealing with an ankle injury. I cannot tell you if he's going to play tomorrow or not. We will have to see."

Semenyo, who joined Bournemouth from Bristol City in January 2023, signed a new contract at the Vitality Stadium in the summer.

According to The Athletic, Bournemouth agreed to insert a transfer clause into the contract, which means Semenyo will be able to leave his current side in January for £65million.

The clause must be activated by a certain date, with the date in place to give Bournemouth time to find a replacement before the January transfer window slams shut.

The outlet have reported that Semenyo was coveted by the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham in the summer before penning a fresh deal in July. And a separate report has claimed that Liverpool are ready to rival those clubs for the player's signature.

The Reds have been tracking the Ghana international for a while and could accelerate their pursuit when the January transfer market opens.

Bournemouth transfer chiefs are said to be aware of the interest in Semenyo and know they will face a battle to keep him. The Cherries would prefer to hang onto the player until next summer, but a January departure hasn't been ruled out.