Following a career-best season where Bryan Mbeumo scored 20 Premier League goals, the in-demand Brentford forward admitted he's up to the task of playing under intense pressure
Bryan Mbeumo admitted he has the ability and the mindset to take the next level in his career - as the Brentford attacker is at the centre of a transfer battle between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. The 25-year-old enjoyed a breakout season with the west London club this season, scoring 20 goals and contributing eight assists in the Premier League as they finished 10th.
His stellar individual campaign has seen the Cameroon international attract intense interest from the likes of the two English sides.
Ruben Amorim's side emerged as the favourites to sign Mbeumo after tabling an initial bid worth up to £55million for the winger but was swiftly rejected by Brentford, who value their star player at £60m.
While the Red Devils are said to be preparing another offer for Mbeumo, Thomas Frank's decision to leave the Bees to become Ange Postecoglou's replacement at Spurs has seen the Europa League champions enter the race.
Keen to reunite with his former player, Spurs reportedly made a superior offer than United for Mbeumo's services with the north London side able to boast their Champions League participation next season.
A move to either club would be a big step in Mbeumo's career, having spent the last six years at Brentford as he was questioned by ex-Chelsea star John Obi Mikel on the The Obi One Podcast on whether he's able to push himself to get to the next level.
"I think this is something we can always do," Mbeumo said last month alongside team-mate Yoane Wissa. "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.
"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."
Mbeumo insisted that he possesses the mindset to become a player that is consistently on the grandest stage. He was asked by Mikel's co-host Chris McHardy whether he has the mental strength to deal with the pressure that comes with representing a club like Manchester United.
"I always wanted to play the biggest game[s] for the biggest club when I was younger," Mbeumo responded. "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."