Manchester City are closing in on the £65million signing of Antoine Semenyo in January, as the Bournemouth star appeared to wave goodbye to their fans after Tuesday night's 2-2 draw at Chelsea.
The Ghanaian international has been one of the Premier League's most impressive players this season, scoring nine and assisting three goals from his 16 league appearances so far.
One of the hottest properties heading into the January transfer window, Semenyo - who has a £65m release clause in his contract - has attracted interest from a host of top English teams including Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham.
City, who held talks with Bournemouth on Monday, are keen to wrap up the transfer as soon as the window opens in an effort to bolster Guardiola's ranks in attacking areas.
But Cherries boss Andoni Iraola has not ruled him out of featuring in Saturday evening's game with table toppers Arsenal - who moved five points ahead of City with a 4-1 hammering of Aston Villa.
'It is not his last game. I can't say 100 per cent but I think he will play, yes. He needs to recover because we play Arsenal at home in another three days, against top of the league, he will be an important player for us, yes.'
The Premier League giants have become reliant on Erling Haaland's astonishing goal record, with the Norwegian having already netted 19 for the season, and are keen to add another natural scorer to their squad.
It is understood more talks between City and Semenyo are expected on Wednesday.
Whether City permit the 25-year-old winger, who starred for Bournemouth at Chelsea on Tuesday, to feature against Arsenal on Saturday remains to be seen.
There were murmurings that City could look at the right back market in January but those have been quashed by club sources.
Although City are in pole position to sign the Cherries winger, Liverpool will still retain hope of luring him to Anfield as they continue to restructure Arne Slot's squad after a historic summer of spending.
Liverpool's sporting director Richard Hughes oversaw Semenyo's £10m move from Bristol City to Bournemouth in January 2023.
Chelsea made a late proposal to Semenyo last week but have since claimed they walked away and cited depth in attacking areas.