Tottenham Hotspur are considered to be prepared to go in strong to sign Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo in the summer transfer window, right underneath the noses of Manchester United.
MEN Sport understands that United have made Mbeumo their priority now that Liam Delap is no longer a viable option. They have submitted one bid worth £55m which is believed to be below Brentford's valuation but they remain confident of getting a deal done.
Over the weekend, though, the transfer was thrown into some jeopardy when Spurs announced the sacking of Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank was quickly established as their preferred successor. It is understood that Tottenham were informed by Frank that he would want them to battle for Mbeumo should he be hired and Spurs agreed that this would be a good idea.
All of this sounds absolutely perfect for the north London club - the perfect plan, perhaps. However, they have somehow forgotten a crucial detail that still gives United the edge.
Mbeumo had the chance to continue working with Frank this season when United initially made a move for him. At this stage, there was no suggestion that the Dane would be leaving the club and, on the surface, Brentford was offering a brighter vision than United.
They comfortably finished above the Reds and neither club could offer the Cameroonian talisman Champions League football. And yet, Mbeumo still favoured a move to Old Trafford and gave them priority to pursue him this summer.
Clearly, the 25-year-old is not motivated by the short-term project nor does he feel like he needs to follow Frank to his next destination. Instead, he is motivated by the project at United and playing under Ruben Amorim.
This is not a case of when Antony wanted to follow Erik ten Hag from Ajax to United. Mbeumo wants to join because of the vision that Amorim is setting out for him and this is what gives the Reds a clear advantage over Spurs.
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