Bournemouth

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We asked for your thoughts on Antoine Semenyo signing a contract extension to keep him at the club until 2030, ending speculation he may be the latest to leave Vitality Stadium this summer.

Here are some of your replies:

Michael: Unlike the two who have left Bournemouth this summer and who are likely starters for their new clubs, I am not sure Antoine could be sure of starting every game for a so-called bigger club. By staying at Bournemouth he is pretty much guaranteed a starting place in each game and probably realises that the grass is not always greener somewhere else. He could become our Matthew Le Tissier.

Andrew: Utterly delighted.

Mark: Nice to know he's staying, a great player for us. If we can hang on to most of the other players and have some new ones come in, we'll be fine, Must admit, Bournemouth fans were getting a bit jittery with players leaving. Now, who knows? We might just be a surprise package again.

Paul: Him signing means that at least he doesn't go away for free. Would love to see him stay but football is business.

Chris: Good news re Semenyo. Now, we need to sort out the defence.

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport Journalist

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Antoine Semenyo was one of the Premier League's most dynamic players in 2024-25.

The 25-year-old was among the league's leading performers in several key attacking metrics, impressing with his direct style of play. Only Mohamed Salah and Cole Palmer attempted more shots than Semenyo, while his 69 successful dribbles was also the third-highest total in the top flight.

His confidence to shoot with either foot makes him particularly hard to handle for opposition defenders and equally comfortable on both flanks. Excluding headers, 54% of his shots last term were left-footed, five of them resulting in goals, while 46% came off his right boot, including six goals.

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola demands aggressive pressing from his attacking players, something Semenyo embraces wholeheartedly, contesting more duels and committing more fouls than any other Premier League player in the most recent campaign.

There is room for improvement when it comes to his end product. He registered just five assists in 2024-25, while his shot conversion rate of 8.8% was also slightly below par. If he can improve on those aspects of his game, elite clubs are likely to come calling again sooner rather than later.

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Antoine Semenyo says he has "grown so much" at Bournemouth after ending speculation surrounding his future by signing a new contract extension to keep him at the club until 2030.

Semenyo had been linked with Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham this summer, but has opted to remain with the Cherries, despite the exits of team-mates Milos Kerkez to Liverpool and Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid.

The 25-year-old Ghana forward joined from Bristol City in January 2023 and registered 13 goals and seven assists last season as Andoni Iraola's side achieved a record points tally of 56 and a joint-highest Premier League finish in ninth.

He had signed a long-term contract 12 months ago.

"I've grown so much at the club, both on and off the pitch, and I'm really happy to have signed ahead of returning for pre-season," Semenyo told club media.

"From the fans to the staff and my team-mates, I can't speak highly enough of the people around the club. It's a great place to be and I'm excited to get back to Bournemouth and continue the hard work with the new season just around the corner."

President of football operations Tiago Pintom added: "Antoine has been crucial to the club's progress and is a key member of the project here at Vitality Stadium.

"We have a great relationship with Antoine and we're looking forward to continuing that as we hope to build on a record-breaking season.

"His commitment to the club matches our ambition and I'm excited to see what can be achieved."

What impact will this news have on Bournemouth's plans for the new season? How worried were you that Semenyo was going to follow Huijsen and Kerkez out of the club?

Get in touch with your thoughts here

Rangers have agreed a deal with Bournemouth for midfielder Joe Rothwell, who spent last season on loan at Leeds United in the Championship. (Sky Sports), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Jordan Clark
BBC Radio Solent

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It's a big blow for Bournemouth to lose Milos Kerkez but they've known this was probably coming for some time and have prepared well for his departure by signing left-backs Julio Soler and Adrien Truffert before they've allowed the Hungarian international to leave.

The £40m represents another strong profit for the Cherries too and looks like good business when you consider the £31m Manchester City have just paid for Rayan Ait-Nouri.

I'm sure it will hurt some fans that Richard Hughes has come back to Bournemouth to take Kerkez to Liverpool but I think it was inevitable that he was going to leave and if it wasn't the Reds then it would have probably been another top European club that came in for him.

It's been a pleasure to watch Kerkez develop over the last two years and he is now rightly one of the most expensive left-back's in the world. He'll be a significant loss to the Cherries defensively and in attack. He did take a season to find his feet in the Premier League though and I'm not sure Bournemouth can afford that with his replacement. Truffert is a few years older at 23 and I'm sure the hope will be that his extra experience and style of play will mean he can hit the ground running next season.

Listen to more analysis on the latest episode of Cherries: Unpicked

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Bournemouth are on a "fine line" in building a future whereby talented players don't view the club as a stepping stone.

That's the view of former player Joe Partington during a summer in which Dean Huijsen has left for Real Madrid and Milos Kerkez is bound for Liverpool.

On the latest episode of Cherries: Unpicked, Partington said: "Bournemouth have reached a certain level now where a lot of teams in Europe want to come and take those players.

"The difficult thing the club have got to do now is sign players that do very, very well but then want to stay at Bournemouth and continue to do well and don't necessarily see it as a place where they might be able to go onto greater things afterwards.

"I suppose that Huijsen and Kerkez have paved the way now for players to believe they can come to Bournemouth and do well and that the training ground and facilities are now at a certain level that players at the top of the game want to come and be involved in that.

"But they do have to be very careful that all they're doing is not basically nurturing players for other teams and that these players are consistently contributing to the success of the football club.

"It's a fine line that the club are on at the moment between success and maybe not having players to recreate that season upon season. Obviously it's a big job the guys at the club have got who manage that process to try and sustain a certain level of consistency."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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A new episode of BBC Radio Solent's Cherries: Unpicked podcast is available on BBC Sounds.

The team chat the latest on Bournemouth's transfer business, including Milos Kerkez, Adrien Truffert, Illia Zabarnyi and Daniel Jebbison.

Listen to the full episode here

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Liverpool are advancing talks to sign defender Milos Kerkez for a fee of around £40m-£45m.

Sources with knowledge of the situation say that the talks have yet to complete but there is expectation from all parties that the Hungary left-back will soon move to Anfield on a long-term deal.

Bournemouth have already signed his replacement Adrien Truffert from Rennes.

Meanwhile, Kerkez's father was quoted as saying "personal terms have been agreed, we just need to sort out some details but that is basically a done deal" to Hungarian outlet Blic, external.

Kerkez started all 38 Premier League matches, contributing two goals and six assists for Bournemouth as they recorded their a club-record 56 points in the Premier League, finishing ninth in the process.

Kerkez has made 23 appearances for Hungary and previously played for Gyor and AZ Alkmaar while also having a spell at AC Milan without making a senior appearance.

The reigning Premier League champions have also agreed a £116m deal to sign Germany international Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.

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Following the release of the 2025-26 Premier League fixtures, we asked you to have your say on how the schedule has fallen for Bournemouth.

Here are some of your comments:

Chris: Liverpool away will be a tough start as we face the prospect of beginning the season without four of the five in defence that performed so solidly last year. The new defensive set-up will need time to bed in, so I foresee a slow start to the season for us Cherries... lurking around 15th to 16th after 10 games.

Pete: Difficult away start, but keep the faith. Andoni Iraola and the recruitment team will again work their magic. Must sign centre-half and goalkeeper. Can't wait for season to start.

Paul: I don't know how these fixtures are drawn up but it's done with total disregard for the fans who have to travel to Liverpool on a Friday night which also means taking time off work. Once again, further proof that it's money that holds all the aces in all levels of football and fans don't matter a hoot.

Josey: Cherries in the bottom three.

Opta has ranked the difficulty of each top-flight team's first five Premier League fixtures of the 2025-26 season.

According to Opta's model, Manchester United have the hardest start, followed by their opening-weekend opponents Arsenal and then Bournemouth.

Aston Villa's first five games have been ranked the easiest, alongside Crystal Palace.

Take a look below to see where your side places...

Aside from the opening fixture at Liverpool and the final game of the season against Nottingham Forest, all dates are subject to change as a result of broadcast and other requirements.

See Bournemouth's full fixture list here

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After securing a first victory over Manchester City last season, Bournemouth will be aiming to repeat that feat when they face Pep Guardiola's side at the start of November.

The return meeting has been scheduled for the penultimate weekend at Vitality Stadium.

Andoni Iraola and his team will also have eyes on 15 August and 24-25 January, the two dates they are due to play defending champions Liverpool - and potentially an early reunion with Milos Kerkez if he moves to Anfield.

And what about the schedule over Christmas and New Year? Well, Bournemouth's festive fixtures include home games against Burnley and Arsenal, plus away trips to Brentford and Chelsea.

Finally, the Cherries will close their campaign at Nottingham Forest on Sunday, 24 May 2026 - when all 10 matches will kick off at 16:00 BST.

Looking at the fixture list, where do you think Iraola's side will be after 10 games? Have your say here

Bournemouth will travel to Liverpool in their opening game of the 2025-26 Premier League season.

The match will take place on Friday, 15 August at 20:00 BST, with the Cherries' first home fixture against Wolves on the weekend of 23-24 August.

See Bournemouth's Premier League fixtures in full here

Where do you think Cherries will be after 10 games and what do you make of how the fixtures have fallen? Tell us here

Bournemouth's Max Aarons is a target for Rangers, with the Cherries favouring a permanent sale for the right-back rather than a loan. (Daily Record), external

Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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As the transfer window is now open again until 1 September, we asked you to tell us one player you want Bournemouth to sign, and a player you want to be sold this summer.

Here are some of your comments:

Chris: Sell Semenyo. The team had a great season and he stood out as a player who can carry the ball and beat a man - when we were controlling games and having lots of the ball. But with star names from the defence leaving the club, I'm not convinced he will have the opportunities to do the same next season, so cashing in while his value is high might be good business given the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool are apparently showing interest. Buy - I would look to bring in a strong performer from the Championship. Josh Murphy had a great season at Portsmouth, as did Tom Fellows from West Brom.

Ross: I don't think the club have any players they need to sell but they could make some permanent deals for the players who went on loan last season (not Philip Billing - bring him back). As for buys - a permanent goalkeeper would be good, as would a lot of defensive players to give players a rest throughout the season so there aren't a lot of injuries throughout or at the end of the campaign.

Lewis: There are too many in the midfield who clearly aren't good enough for a top-half team. Alex Scott is a poor man's Ryan Christie and Tyler Adams is a liability. That is where the buy and sell needs to happen!

Geoff: Sell Mark Travers and replace with Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Merlin: It would be interesting to see whether we make an offer for Jean-Philippe Mateta and Marc Guehi at Crystal Palace. They are both very talented players and we need more depth in that centre-back position with no more Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi looking likely to leave.

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Bournemouth's new signing Adrien Truffert has the potential to reach the same level as Milos Kerkez, according to French football expert Julien Laurens.

With Kerkez possibly Liverpool-bound, the Cherries' move for Truffert on a five-year contract was confirmed on Monday.

The 23-year-old has already played in Europe's elite competitions, been a regular feature for France Under-21s side and made his senior international debut in 2022.

"He was one of Ligue 1's best left-backs in a very competitive position," Laurens told BBC Radio Solent.

"He's been a very solid player for France U21s for many years, and I think he's been outstanding again this season in what was an average season from Rennes' point of view.

"Bournemouth are going to sell Kerkez for a very good amount of money to get a good replacement - not at the same level as Kerkez, but with the potential to be at that level. For that price, it's a really good signing.

"He's a great crosser of the ball, has good quality technically and is a smart player. He is physically not the tallest - but for a left-back, he is the right size, with good pace and is a good defender."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds here