Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has reportedly ‘advised’ Bryan Mbeumo to move to Old Trafford and ignore overtures from rival suitors Tottenham Hotspur, and with the star having been compared to Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah.
The 2024/25 campaign was hugely disappointing for Man Utd. The sacking of Erik ten Hag and the arrival of Ruben Amorim as the Man Utd manager was expected to propel the club to greater heights, but the Red Devils ended up 15th in the Premier League table and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
Man Utd, though, are determined to bounce back and have already added Matheus Cunha to the squad from Wolves, with Amorim planning to play the Brazil international as one of his two number 10s.
TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, has reported that Man Utd are also in talks to sign Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford.
Sources have told TEAMtalk that despite interest from Tottenham Hotspur, Mbeumo prefers a move to Man Utd.
And with talks over a deal ongoing, the Manchester Evening News has now revealed the role that Onana has played in convincing the Brentford winger to switch to Old Trafford and ignore Spurs’ late attempts to hijack the deal.
Onana plays with the 25-year-old for Cameroon, and the goalkeeper has ‘advised Bryan Mbeumo to join Manchester United’.
‘Mbeumo wants to move to United despite late interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Onana played a role in swaying Cameroon teammate Mbeumo’, adds the report.
Mbeumo scored 20 goals and gave eight assists in 38 Premier League matches for Brentford last season, with former Tottenham centre-back Jason Cundy describing him as “a mini-Salah” on talkSPORT in May.
The Manchester Evening News has added that Onana himself is ‘expected’ to stay at Man Utd, with the Premier League club’s manager, Amorim, enjoying ‘a warm working relationship’ with the 29-year-old.
Onana, though, admitted last week that he does not know if he will be at Man Utd, with the Argentine press claiming that the Red Devils have made contact with Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
What Man Utd and Tottenham target Mbeumo has said about his future
Mbeumo is fully aware of clubs chasing him, but the Brentford winger has kept his cards close to his chest.
The winger spoke to Sky Sports News over the weekend, and although he raved about new Tottenham manager Thomas Frank, the Cameroon international did not publicly reveal whether he wants to work with the former Brentford boss at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium or make the switch to Man Utd and play under Amorim.
Mbeumo said: “It (transfer speculation) is a bit new for me I would say!
“I think it can be the life of a footballer and you need to accept it.”
The winger added: “It’s been my best season so far in the Premier League.
“And even collectively, I think we did play very good games. I think we’ve been unlucky to chase the Europe spot, but I think it’s been a fantastic season.”
Mbeumo said about Frank: “He’s done so much for me. He literally trusted me from the start. I think he developed the team so well.
“He developed me as a human and a player as well. So I can only wish him all the best, and I’m sure he’s going to do well.
“I think he knows everything. He’s really smart. He knows where he wants to bring the team, how he wants to play. I think he’s been fantastic for Brentford.
“I think he’s going to have some time to adapt, obviously. [Champions League] games, more expectations, as you said, but I’m sure he’s going to do well.
“He knows how to talk to people. He knows how to build a group. And that’s why we’ve been playing so well.”
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