Antoine Semenyo is expected to stay at Bristol City next term despite interest from Crystal Palace, according to Bristol Live.

Reports from Teamtalk back in March linked the forward with a move to Selhurst Park after an impressive breakthrough season at Ashton Gate in which he's featured no less than 50 times, scoring five and creating seven more in the process.

However the 21-year-old's season ended prematurely with Semenyo needing to undergo surgery on a troublesome knee issue.

The report claims that the surgery has been a success and that means that the forward is expected to be ready to return for Bristol City's pre-season training campaign.

While a return to action is promising, the lure of a move away could easily be a distraction but according to James Piercy of Bristol Live, it seems that there's an acceptance that Semenyo will be staying put for the time being.

Writing for Bristol Live, Piercy said: "After Chelsea were unsuccessful in trying to tempt the then-teenager in 2019 to west London, Crystal Palace are the team understood to have sustained interest in the former SGS College student.

"Sporting director Dougie Freedman is acutely aware of Semenyo but Bristol Live has learned that Palace’s interest amounts to merely that at present, with the south London side monitoring him at this stage among several talents in the EFL.

"Semenyo was flagged to Freedman by one of his senior analysts but the Premier League side remain some way off from even entertaining making a bid for the forward, who is under contract until 2023 with the option for a further 12 months.

"There is belief, both within and outside of Ashton Gate, that Semenyo still needs further minutes in the Championship to properly develop and reveal the extent of his potential, due to the rawness of his talent."

The verdict

This is great news for Bristol City supporters.

There's no doubt that Antoine Semenyo is one of the hottest prospects at the club currently and what we've seen this season is a player who is getting himself up to speed in the Championship.

Semenyo has shown real signs of improvement but it's safe to say that he's far from the finished article at Championship level.

Next term will be key for the forward as he looks to fulfill his potential, and perhaps in 12 months time if he's kicked on then a move to the Premier League could be a realistic option.