Manchester United will this week resume talks with Brentford aimed at striking a full agreement to sign Bryan Mbeumo, though the spectre of Tottenham Hotspur gazumping them to a deal remains a strong possibility and with a transfer expert revealing the huge dilemma the star is facing.
The Cameroon winger finds himself in high demand off the back of an excellent 2024/25 campaign for the Bees in which he scored 20 goals and added nine assists from 42 appearances – a G/A every 123.3 minutes he had on the field. And with his contract at the Gtech Stadium expiring a year from now, Brentford will not stand in Mbeumo‘s way of making a high-profile move to a Premier League rival.
While the player has a wealth of sides all keen to sign him, the 25-year-old quickly made clear his wish to sign for Manchester United, with four big factors proving key.
And while personal terms with the player have quickly been agreed, striking a club-to-club agreement has proved much trickier.
That delay has opened the door for Tottenham Hotspur to try and hijack the transfer themselves.
As a result, football financial expert, Stefan Borson, has revealed the huge dilemma now facing the star – and it’s all down to Thomas Frank.
“I think you look at it two ways,” Borson began on Football Insider.
“First of all, all the people that do know about transfers, they say that United are still very much in the driving seat on the transaction.
“United don’t seem to have been particularly perturbed to the point where they’ve rushed around to do a deal. They seem very relaxed, so I would think he still ends up at United.
“But if you look at it, there’s quite a lot to be said for a Tottenham transfer. They have got Champions League, he’s got a manager he knows really well, and he wouldn’t have to move house.
“I suspect that Spurs can match Manchester United’s wages given that they do have Champions League football next season and given that United are trying to bring the whole cost base all the way down.
“I suspect that he wants to go to United, but I think there’s quite a lot to be said for him moving to Spurs right now.
“If he really has a very good relationship with Thomas Frank, then I don’t think it’s impossible that he could choose Spurs.
“I still think he’s likely to go to Manchester United.”
Man Utd ready to raise Bryan Mbeumo bid
Having already signed Matheus Cunha in a £62.5m agreement this summer, the club’s second major signing of the off-season has taken time to get over the line.
And without a clause fixing his price, together with strong competition for his services, a deal to bring Mbeumo to Old Trafford has proven a laborious process so far.
United are understood to have had an opening offer of £45m fixed, plus £10m in add-ons, rejected by the Bees.
And while discussions have taken place at reaching a compromise, United are yet to officially lodge that second offer with the south-west London side.
However, according to Rudy Galetti, all that is about to change – and there is a growing belief that an agreement can soon be reached.
Writing on X, our transfer insider has revealed that United are now willing to pay £63million plus add-ons for the winger, adding that “final details” with Brentford will be sorted soon.
Such a deal will comfortably be the biggest in Brentford’s history, roaring past the £34m fee received from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli for Ivan Toney last summer.
Mendes to aid Man Utd raid on Real Madrid;
Meanwhile, United remain determined to get Jadon Sancho off the books with former manager Jose Mourinho now reportedly looking to bring him to Fenerbahce, though two Italian giants also remain keen.
Elsewhere, United are hoping super-agent Jorge Mendes can aid their quest to sign a Real Madrid star in the summer transfer window, according to a Spanish report, though Ruben Amorim’s plan to get him out of the Santiago Bernabeu may not work.
Over at Spurs, a club insider has revealed how Frank’s first signing at his new club could be a shrewd move to bring a former star back to the club, who has gone on to rack up some 226 career appearances.
Frank is also reportedly looking to add an elite attacking midfielder to Thomas Frank’s squad after making ‘active enquiries’ to sign a top Bundesliga talent who is also on Chelsea’s radar.