Manchester United remain frontrunners to sign Bryan Mbeumo but must significantly increase their offer to convince Brentford to sell.
The i Paper understands that earlier this week United tabled an offer of £45m plus another potential £10m in add-ons, which is well below Brentford’s valuation of the player.
But the transfer looks set to rumble on for some time due to several factors and hurdles to overcome. Here, we take a look at how it could play out.
What’s the hold-up?
Mbeumo, who scored 20 Premier League goals last season, has indicated that his preference is to move to Manchester United to become a prominent part of Ruben Amorim’s club rebuild.
United hoped this would allow them to sign the 25-year-old winger for a lower fee, but Brentford remain in a strong negotiating position and will resist attempts to be lowballed.
There is substantial interest in the Cameroon international, who ticks key boxes with his age profile, skillset and Premier League experience. Not short of options, Brentford will seek to maximise his value.
Why do Manchester United want him?
United manager Amorim is keen to strengthen his attacking options after the club finished 15th in the Premier League, scoring a record low 44 goals, and has been eyeing proven top-flight talent.
Players signed from overseas leagues generally take longer to acclimatise and recruiters at Premier League clubs place a premium on stars who have already shown they can perform in England.
In that vein, United moved swiftly to sign Matheus Cunha from Wolves, triggering the Brazilian’s £62.5m release clause at the start of June. It is a flat fee, without add-ons. Cunha signed a five-year contract.
Cunha is only a few months older than Mbeumo and has produced similar numbers since he moved to Wolves from Atletico Madrid for £44m in 2023.
Cunha scored 17 goals in 36 games last season. The season before he scored 14 in 36 games.
Mbeumo, meanwhile, scored 20 goals in 42 games last season, and nine in 27 Brentford games the year before.
Does Frank’s move to Spurs change anything?
Absolutely. Tottenham Hotspur are believed to have a firm offer on the table and they had hoped Mbeumo’s relationship with Thomas Frank, whom they poached from Brentford last week to replace Ange Postecoglou, could convince the player to choose them ahead of a move to Old Trafford.
Mbeumo worked with Frank, who Spurs paid around £10m in compensation to appoint, for the entirety of his six years at Brentford and formed a strong bond.
Player development is one of Frank’s key strengths and Mbeumo’s progression is a standout example.
As soon as Frank joined Spurs the club made signing Mbeumo a priority.
Mbeumo is not thought to have completely ruled out a reunion with Frank. The i Paper revealed this week that he is tempted by the prospect of staying in London.
Spurs also offer the prospect of playing Champions League football next season, securing qualification after beating United in the Europa League final.
Like United, Tottenham are seeking to reinforce their forward options. They face the prospect of losing Son Heung-min, who only has 12 months left on his contract, this summer.
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It emerged this week the club are open to selling the winger at the right price, but only after the club’s pre-season tour of Asia. They have friendlies in Hong Kong and Seoul at the end of July and start of August.
There is strong interest from the Middle East to sign Son.
They have already made the loan signing of forward Mathys Tel permanent, agreeing a fee of around £30m with Bayern Munich for the 20-year-old.
Why are Brentford relaxed about the situation?
Mbeumo’s contract runs until 2026, but Brentford have the option to extend it for another year, putting them in a strong negotiating position.
The fact there is significant interest in him also allows them to hold out for a higher fee.
Transfer fees in any given window are often based on the first move of a similar player, and Cunha’s price tag presented a baseline to work from.
Brentford sources have told The i Paper they do not feel pressured to make a deal with United.
The club’s experience with Ivan Toney – resisting offers and keeping the player for an extra year – taught them that it was worth waiting, despite the decline in value.