Tottenham Hotspur were soundly beaten on the transfer market this past summer for the ultimate dream Thomas Frank transfer target, as breakout Brentford superstar Bryan Mbeumo never really even considered reuniting with his former manager at Tottenham, instead pushing hard for a transfer to Manchester United that he eventually got.
After scoring 20 goals with 7 assists as the main man on an underdog Brentford side, Mbeumo has been as good as advertised at Old Trafford and something of a saving grace for Ruben Amorim's semi resurgent outfit.
Now, heading into the January 2026 transfer market, Manchester United are still interested in one more top class forward despite already adding Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko alongside Mbeumo - and they could sign someone at Tottenham's expense.
Tottenham are in danger of missing out on dream target
See, both Tottenham and Manchester United were also interested in Antoine Semenyo last summer, and the Bournemouth breakout star has been even better this season. Tottenham didn't sign a left winger to replace Son Heung-min, so with Semenyo proving to be even better in 2025/26 on that side of the formation for the Cherries, he is expected to be their dream target in 2026.
The thing is, rivals Arsenal are high on his wish list, and now Manchester United are gunning hard for him. According to a report from The Mirror, Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim had dinner with Semenyo last summer ahead of an anticipated move in order to evaluate his character - and probably to woo him. And recently, Sky Sports News reported that Man United are interested in signing him as early as January, via mufcytp. Per The Mirror, Man United held talks with Bournemouth and are willing to pay 55 million pounds for him.
Semenyo now has a 65 million pound release clause set for January, and given where Bournemouth are in the Premier League table, they surely aren't going to sell one of the most impressive players in the league unless both Semenyo and the clause force them to. Otherwise, they will sell him for, likely, something around that fee Man United are willing to pay in the summer.
Tottenham have already missed out on so many marquee transfer targets, and with Manchester United and Arsenal competing with them again, Spurs fans can't be feeling too optimistic. Man United have already shown more desire in signing Semenyo than Spurs have, and after beating them to the punch for Frank's protege Mbeumo, they must be confident they can repeat history in 2026.