Manchester United have moved a significant step closer towards the signing of Bryan Mbeumo after it was claimed Tottenham Hotspur have now withdrawn their interest, while the valuation gap between the Red Devils and Brentford is close to finding common ground.
The Cameroon forward is a wanted man off the back of the best season of his career. After contributing towards 29 goals (20 goals, nine assists) from 42 appearances, Mbeumo ended the campaign with a G/A every 123.3 minutes he was on the field. And with the Bees not standing in his way of making the next career step, a frantic battle has ensued for his services.
And while both Newcastle and Arsenal had expressed an interest, the 25-year-old’s decision to join Manchester United this summer had seen the Red Devils hold talks over a big-money summer deal.
But when their first offer for the player fell short of Brentford’s expectations, the door swung wide open for Tottenham Hotspur to take advantage, with the subsequent appointment of Thomas Frank as their new manager adding weight to the north London side’s chances.
The fact they were also ready to offer more than United’s initial offer also gave them added hope.
However, sources have insisted that Mbeumo has never swayed from his determination to join United.
And with TEAMtalk transfer insider Rudy Galetti posting a considerable update on the saga on Tuesday evening suggesting an agreement between the Bees and United was edging closer, Frank’s new side are understood to have reached a major decision on their own efforts to sign the player.
That’s according to journalist Valentin Furlan, who claims Tottenham are now ‘out of the race for Mbeumo’, with the player ‘giving his word’ to United, leaving Frank to accept that a reunion in N17 with his talismanic star is not going to be possible.
GO DEEPER 🔴⚫ The dream Man Utd attack with two new forwards to join Matheus Cunha
Bryan Mbeumo: Man Utd working to thrash out transfer agreement
According to Galetti, Mbeumo has already agreed personal terms with United over what is likely to be a five-year deal at Old Trafford.
The Italian transfer correspondent posted on X: “Positive contacts between Man UTD and Brentford for Mbeumo. The gap on fixed fee is narrowing: just a few million left.
“Personal terms have already been agreed, as revealed days ago: to date, Bryan only wants MUFC – no interest in other clubs.”
Having only made one offer so far, said to be worth a downpayment of £45m with a further £10m in add-ons, United have been locked in talks over reaching a compromise.
Sources understand that the Bees are looking to achieve a fee similar to the one United struck with Wolves for Matheus Cunha, worth £62.5m, despite the fact that the 22-times capped Cameroon star has effectively one year left on his deal. The Bees do have the opportunity to extend that by a further year, though, hence their demands to obtain a higher price than United’s opening gambit.
Mbeumo himself has been keeping a low profile as the two clubs work on thrashing out a compromise.
However, the Sky Sports cameras did catch up with him during Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
“It 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 attacker stated.
Mbeumo was also quizzed about his future last month, while appearing alongside his Brentford strike partner Yoane Wissa on former Chelsea star John Obi Mikel’s on The Obi One Podcast.
“I think this is something we can always do. But you need a lot of resilience because you can say, ‘I want to be there’ but if you don’t do [enough] you won’t be able to achieve what you really want,” Mbeumo began.
“I think the mental part is to say to yourself when it’s getting hard, ‘can I go harder, yes’ if you say no, you will stay the good player you are, you can’t be the best.”
During the interview, Mbeumo was also questioned about his mental fortitude to handle the pressures that comes with playing for a club like Manchester United.
“I always wanted to play the biggest game[s] for the biggest club when I was younger,” Mbeumo answered. “It’s easy to say that I want to be there but obviously you need to put a lot of demand on yourself and I’ve shown what I’m capable of.
“I’m really demanding of myself as well because I know I have the abilities [but] we never know what might happen.”
Spurs in direct contact for explosive Rennes star; unusual Antony move close
As an alternative to Mbeumo, Tottenham are interested in signing Jack Grealish from Manchester City, while sources have confirmed the name of another £60m-rated winger the north London club are also in talks with.
Elsewhere, Spurs have reportedly taken a big leap forward in their bid to snap up a dynamic Rennes striker, as they look to strengthen their squad ahead of returning to the Champions League next season.
Over at Old Trafford, United are understood to be increasingly open to the possibility of granting Antony a dream transfer away from Old Trafford, amid claims a rarely-seen arrangement will help facilitate the deal.
Meanwhile, United have decided on the two forwards they could offer Eintracht Frankfurt in a remarkable player-plus-cash deal for striker Hugo Ekitike, according to a report.