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Bryan Mbeumo has explained his decision to snub Tottenham after Manchester United announced their £71m deal for the Brentford star.

Spurs, under the management of former Brentford boss Thomas Frank, were keen to sign the 25-year-old winger in the summer transfer window.

But United won the race for the Cameroon international, who has signed a five-year contract with the option to extend his deal a further 12 months.

The Red Devils have paid Brentford an initial £65m plus £6m in add-ons for Mbeumo, who scored 20 Premier League goals in 38 games last season.

Mbeumo has told the United website that he simply could not turn down the opportunity to join the ‘massive club’ he supported as a boy.

Mbeumo: I can reach another level at Man Utd

‘As soon as I knew there was a chance to join Manchester United, I had to take the opportunity to sign for the club of my dreams; the team whose shirt I wore growing up,’ Mbeumo said.

‘My mentality is to always be better than I was yesterday. I know that I have the spirit and character to reach another level here learning from Ruben Amorim and playing alongside world-class players.

‘Everybody told me about the environment that is being created here and how exciting the plans are for the future.

‘This is a massive club, with an incredible stadium and amazing fans, we are all really determined to challenge for the biggest trophies.’

Man Utd ‘delighted’ to sign Brentford’s Mbeumo

Jason Wilcox, United’s director of football, said: ‘Bryan’s goals and assists record in the Premier League is exceptional, his remarkable consistency has put him amongst the most productive players in England for the last three seasons.

‘Bryan’s belief in our project and determination to join the club confirmed that he was the perfect fit for Manchester United and the culture that we are developing.

‘We are delighted to have secured another one of our primary targets ahead of the pre-season tour.

‘The experience in the US will be the perfect opportunity for Bryan to work with Ruben and his new team-mates as we prepare for an exciting season ahead.’

Frank: Mbeumo ‘deserves’ Man Utd move

Spurs boss Frank knows Mbeumo incredibly well from their time together at Brentford – and has no hard feelings over his decision to pick United.

‘Bryan, of course, is a fantastic player,’ Frank said on Saturday about his former star.

‘I have been with him for five years. I think he deserved the move, no matter where he goes.

‘As a player I wish him all the best when you’ve been with a player for so long.’

Mbeumo made a total of 242 appearances for Brentford across all competitions, conjuring up 70 goals and 51 assists for the Bees.

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Nottingham Forest reportedly want to sign an England hero should Morgan Gibbs-White complete a £60million transfer to Tottenham.

Two weeks ago, Gibbs-White looked destined to join Spurs after they triggered his release clause and booked his medical.

But the deal is on hold with Forest threatening legal action against their Premier League rivals, as they believe Tottenham made an illegal approach for their star player.

The Three Lions midfielder still wants to move to north London but has remained professional throughout the saga, reporting for training and starting Saturday’s pre-season friendly against Monaco.

Gibbs-White moved to the City Ground from Wolves in 2022 in a deal worth up to £42m and last season recorded 17 goal contributions as he helped Forest qualify for Europe.

Forest have no intention of selling the 25-year-old, having already seen Anthony Elanga join Newcastle, but have lined-up a replacement just in case.

The Telegraph report that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are among the clubs pushing to sign Manchester City star James McAtee, who is valued at £35m.

Despite being highly-rated, Pep Guardiola has scarcely given McAtee a chance to show his worth, giving him just three Premier League starts last season.

West Ham, Borussia Dortmund and Frankfurt are also pursuing the 22-year-old, who turned down the chance to play at the Club World Cup to instead captain England to glory at the U21 Euros.

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McAtee recently met with the German clubs and was impressed by their offers, while the Irons believe he could replace Mohammed Kudus who recently joined Spurs for £55m.

However, all four interested clubs don’t agree with City’s price tag and instead value the attacking midfielder, who has entered the last year of his contract, at £20-25m.

Manchester United had previously been linked with a shock move for the Citizen but their interest has almost certainly cooled following the arrivals of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.

Forest are about to embark on their pre-season tour of Portugal and kick-off the new season, with or without Gibbs-White and McAtee, on August 17 against Brentford.

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Thomas Frank enjoyed an encouraging start to life in charge of Tottenham with a win over Reading in a friendly on Saturday, but three players missed out.

New arrival Luka Vuskovic and Will Lankshear scored the goals in a 2-0 win for Spurs, while summer signing Mohammed Kudus played the second half.

Frank saw a lot of his new players in action, but returning Manor Solomon, new signing Kota Takai and Richarlison all missed out on the trip to the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

Explaining their absences, Frank said: ‘Manor has a minor calf injury, unfortunately, nothing big.

‘Kota has a minor issue, and we expect him to train next week.

‘Richy has trained well, we’re just building him, that’s the big thing, He trained earlier today, and we expect a full training week next week and, right now, we expect him to play next week.’

Richarlison has been linked with a departure from Tottenham this summer, but Frank suggests the Brazilian will play against Luton next Saturday.

The new Spurs boss sounded pleased with his team’s performance after an intense first week of training after his move from Brentford.

‘Lots of boxes ticked, and if we look in a bigger perspective, it’s been a good week, very tough and intense for the lads,’ he said.

‘So, a couple of good things, we’ve got through the week, touch wood, no injuries, everyone in a better, physical place, all the players got a good 45 minutes here, plus a good run after – the fitness box ticked.

‘It’s always important to keep a clean sheet, that’s very important if you want to win football matches, so good aspects in that. I think it’s good we scored two goals from set pieces, something we’ve been working hard on.

‘There were elements in the game I’m happy with, elements of the high pressure, elements of the counter-press, so when we’ve lost it, we can bank teams in, elements of having enough players in the box… there are also bits we’d like to do better, but that’s normal.’

The Dane is taking over the Europa League champions as they prepare to return to the Champions League, but how far can they go this season?

Frank said via the Guardian: ‘What are the odds for us winning the Premier League this season? I think we’re probably not the favourites. There are probably three teams at least ahead of us but we will do what we can to build a strong and competitive team.

‘The first aim is that we need to be able to compete in all four tournaments and do it on a consistent level. I think 2019 was the last season where the club managed to compete in more than one competition.

‘If we can compete, there’s maybe a chance that you can hopefully end top. But we need to be able to build to compete first.’

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Newcastle United have turned to Brentford star Yoane Wissa having ended their pursuit of Hugo Ekitike.

The Magpies made an opening offer of £70million for Ekitike this week, one rejected by the Bundesliga side who are demanding his release clause of £86m be met in full.

Newcastle regarded Ekitike as a player who will come in to play alongside Alexander Isak, not replace him.

The plot thickened this week as it emerged Liverpool have approached Newcastle to sound out a possible move for Isak this summer.

Newcastle’s stance has long been Isak is not for sale, however with Liverpool also making contact over a move for Ekitike as an alternative option.

Liverpool are believed to have struck a deal with the 23-year-old striker, despite a rival offer from Manchester United in the last 24 hours which was turned away.

Newcastle will shift focus to other targets with The Athletic reporting they are now exploring a move to sign Wissa.

His contract in west London is set to expire next summer although the Bees do have the option to extend that by a further 12 months.

Tottenham are also interested in signing the 28-year-old who starred under former Bees boss Thomas Frank in west London.

Spurs have signed Mohammed Kudus with Mathys Tel’s loan move made permanent. There have also been talks to sign Morgan Gibbs-White as part of a revamp of Frank’s attacking options in north London.

Wissa has also attracted interest from Nottingham Forest who saw an opening offer turned away last week.

Forest also saw a bid worth £25m rejected in January.

The DR Congo international enjoyed his most prolific campaign in England to date last season, scoring 19 times and laying on four assists.

Newcastle’s interest in Wissa emerges as Manchester United return with a third offer to sign his Brentford teammate Bryan Mbuemo.

United have already seen two offers turned away with their latest worth an initial £65m with £5m in add-ons.

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Alejandro Garnacho remains likely to leave Manchester United this summer, but wants to remain in the Premier League if he does intend exit Old Trafford.

The Argentina international is one of a number of players on the transfer list as the Red Devils look to significantly trim their squad.

Marcus Rashford, Antony and Jadon Sancho are all on the chopping block as well, but exits are proving difficult to secure, despite them all being international stars.

There is interest in Garnacho, but the 21-year-old is not keen to just take any offer that comes in for him.

The Telegraph report that an opportunity to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr has emerged, but the winger is not interested in moving to the Saudi Pro League.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano also reports that Garnacho wants to stay in the Premier League, which seriously narrows down his options in the transfer market.

Serie A champions Napoli have long been keen on Garnacho, making a move for him in January and doing so again this summer, but the player would rather not go to Italy.

Chelsea have been linked with a move for Garnacho all summer and if he is to get his wish to stay in England then Stamford Bridge now appears to be by far the most realistic destination.

The Telegraph reported last month that the clubs were exploring a swap deal which would take Garnacho to west London and Christopher Nkunku move to Old Trafford.

The French forward has had an underwhelming spell with the Blues since signing from RB Leipzig – not helped by serious injury in his first season – and Chelsea are willing to sell him.

Manchester United and Bayern Munich have been credited with an interest in Nkunku, and there remains a possibility that a deal could be done with the Red Devils.

Having previously wanted around £60m for Garnacho, the Mirror reported last month that Manchester United have dropped the asking price as they look to get a deal done.

An offer of closer to £40m may be enough to secure his signature, although clearly if a swap deal can be done then that would drop still further.

While Garnacho featured regularly under manager Ruben Amorim last season, the campaign ended on a sour note as he complained about his role off the bench in the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham.

‘There were a lot of things missing – when you don’t score goals, you always need more at the end,’ Garnacho told the Argentine media after the 1-0 loss. ‘I played every round until we reached the final, I helped the team, and to play twenty minutes today… I don’t know.’

Asked about his team selection for the clash with Spurs, Amorim named Garnacho as someone who made a mistake by missing a great chance against Athletic Bilbao earlier in the competition.

‘Some players come in, like Mason Mount, against Bilbao and changed the game,’ Amorim said in his post-match press conference.

‘So now it is easy to say. Who missed the big opportunity in the first half against Bilbao? Garnacho.

‘Of course, now it is easy for us to talk about a lot of views. I just look at the game and try to manage things and improve the team and try to win games.

‘I can see it both ways. I remember everything about the past so it is easy for me to respond to that question.’

Alejandro Garnacho next club odds

The odds at the time of writing for Alejandro Garnacho’s club on September 3.

Odds courtesy of bet365

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Tottenham’s £60 million deal to sign Morgan Gibbs-White is currently off as Nottingham Forest have pursued legal action over Spurs’ move for the midfielder.

Spurs moved quickly to complete a deal for Gibbs-White this week as they indicated to Forest that they are prepared to meet the 25-year-old’s £60m release clause.

Gibbs-White was due to undergo a medical with Spurs on Friday and finalise his £60m move this weekend.

However, Forest have put the transfer on hold as they believe Spurs have made an illegal approach for their player and claim that they did not give permission for their Premier League rivals to approach the England international.

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Forest have ceased all communication with Spurs and believe there hasbeen a breach in confidentiality around Gibbs-White’s £60m release clause.

Forest have now contacted their legal team and have submitted a complaint to the Premier League.

Gibbs-White joined Forest in a £42.5m deal from Wolves in August 2022.

Last season, the midfielder was one of Forest’s standout players with seven goals and eight assists in the Premier League as the team finished seventh in the table.

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Tottenham have agreed a £55 million deal to sign Mohammed Kudus from West Ham.

The 24-year-old has attracted interest from several Premier League clubs including Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle United.

Spurs, meanwhile, had a £50m bid for Kudus rejected by West Ham earlier this month but their improved offer of £55m has now been accepted.

Kudus, who has a £85m release clause in his deal with West Ham, has agreed a six-year contract.

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The Ghana international is now scheduled to undergo a medical with Spurs on Thursday.

West Ham signed Kudus for an initial £38m fee from Ajax in August 2023.

In two seasons with West Ham, Kudus has scored 19 goals and registered 13 assists in 80 appearances.

Spurs are also targeting a move for Brentford striker Yoane Wissa, who could link back up with Thomas Frank after he replaced Ange Postecoglou earlier this summer.

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Tottenham are planning to make an improved bid for West Ham star Mohammed Kudus, but there is competition for his signature.

The Hammers are open to selling the 24-year-old, who has a release clause of £85m.

Spurs have seen a bid of £50m rejected for the former Ajax star, but believe they can get their man for less than his release clause.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reports that Tottenham are expected to make another bid for the Ghana international, with new manager Thomas Frank signing off on a move for Kudus.

There is plenty of interest in the attacking midfielder, though, with the BBC reporting that ‘at least six top clubs’ have contacted West Ham about the availability of Kudus.

Chelsea is one of those clubs that have made an inquiry and could still beat Tottenham to signing Kudus.

The player is happy to make a move, targeting a Champions League club, with both Chelsea and Tottenham able to offer him that.

Kudus joined the Hammers from Ajax in the summer of 2023 for an initial £38m and had a standout first season with the east London club.

He scored 14 goals in all competitions, making 45 appearances as he swiftly became a key player.

The last campaign was less fruitful, scoring five goals in 35 outings across a difficult season for the club.

Spurs are looking to build a new squad under manager Thomas Frank, although the only confirmed signings so far have been loan moves made permanent.

Mathys Tel has signed from Bayern Munich and Kevin Danso from Lens, but the club want to bring in further additions after winning the Europa League and qualifying for the Champions League.

Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo and Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze have all been linked with moves to Spurs, but there is competition for all of them.

Manchester United are leading the chase for Mbeumo, while Arsenal are also being heavily linked with signing Eze.

There will also be outgoings this summer from Spurs, with Richarlison linked with a move away from the Premier League, while Cristian Romero also looks likely to leave.

Captain Son Heung-min has also been linked with a move, with MLS sides interested in the South Korean forward.

The Sun report that 32-year-old is set for talks with Thomas Frank next week over his future, with just one year left on his contract in north London.

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Tottenham striker Richarlison is likely to leave the club this summer after new manager Thomas Frank signed off on a sale, according to reports.

The 28-year-old has been underwhelming since arriving from Everton in 2022, scoring just 16 Premier League goals in three seasons with Spurs.

The Brazil international has scored a total of 20 games in 90 outings, with injuries hampering his progress but form also proving difficult to find consistently.

The Sun report that Tottenham are happy to sell Richarlison this summer and could accept as little as £20m for him, despite paying the Toffees £50m just three years ago.

A loan exit could also be a possibility for the man with 50 caps for his country, but Spurs would prefer a permanent sale.

The forward still has two years left on his contract in north London, the same five-year deal he signed when he arrived from Goodison Park.

The Sun’s report states that Galatasaray is his most likely destination, going as far as saying Richarlison is now ‘expected’ to sign for the Turkish club.

Okan Buruk’s side dominated the Super Lig last season with Victor Osimhen their star performer, scoring 26 goals in 30 league games.

The Nigerian netted a total of 37 times in 41 appearances across all competitions during his loan spell from Napoli, but Gala are struggling to secure a deal to bring him back to the club.

The 26-year-old is wanted by a string of clubs, linked with the likes of Manchester United, Juventus and Chelsea, although the Blues have already brought in Liam Delap and secured a deal to sign Joao Pedro from Brighton.

Richarlison explained some of his struggles during his early days at Tottenham were partly down to mental health struggles after the 2022 World Cup.

He bravely opened up about going through depression after the Qatar World Cup, saying he considered quitting football.

‘Before I went to training, I wanted to go home, I wanted to go back to my room because, I don’t know what was going through my head,’ he told ESPN Brasil in 2024. ‘I even went and told my dad I was going to give up.

‘It’s kind of sad to talk like that, you know? What I went through after the World Cup, discovering things here at home from people who had lived with me for over seven years … It is crazy.

‘To go to my father, who was the guy who chased my dream with me, and say, “Dad, I want to give up,” is crazy.

‘I’d just played in a World Cup, man, at my peak. I was reaching my limit, you know? I don’t know, I’m not going to talk about killing myself, but I was in a depression there, and I wanted to give up.

‘Even I, who seemed to be mentally strong. After the World Cup it seemed like it all fell apart. I think the therapist, like it or not, saved me, saved my life.’

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Tottenham have stepped up their interest in Mohammed Kudus and club bosses are optimistic they can strike a cut-price deal for the West Ham forward this summer.

Kudus, 24, has racked up 19 goals and 13 assists in 80 appearances since joining the Hammers from Ajax in a £40million move from Ajax in 2023.

But there is mounting speculation that Kudus could be set for the exit door at the London Stadium, with several top teams alerted to a potential agreement for the Ghana international.

Chelsea have been credited with a strong interest as they scour the transfer market for attacking reinforcements having already signed Liam Delap from Ipswich.

But the Blues have instead decided to focus their attentions on Brighton’s Joao Pedro and Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens, who are both expected to finalise transfers to Stamford Bridge over the coming days.

According to The Telegraph, Spurs would be prepared to break their ‘unofficial transfer embargo’ with West Ham to land Kudus and are ready to make their move. Scott Parker was the last player to make the controversial switch way back in 2011.

The report states that Tottenham’s hierarchy are upbeat about their chances of reaching an agreement with the Irons for a fee ‘well below’ Kudus’ £85m release clause, which is said to be valid for the first ten days of July.

It’s claimed West Ham will listen to offers for Kudus as they look to raise funds for a summer rebuild under Graham Potter – and the ex-Ajax man is ‘open’ to the idea of a move across the capital.

However, Spurs – who appointed Thomas Frank as their new head coach earlier this month – may first need to offload players before tempting West Ham with an opening bid for Kudus.

Kudus’ current deal with the Hammers runs through to June 2028.

Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo and Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze have also been linked with moves to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in recent weeks and months.

Asked about his West Ham future in April, Kudus told SportsBoom: ‘I’m just here to play my football, enjoy myself, and help the team as much as I can.

‘The future will take care of itself.’

Spurs wrapped up their first piece of summer transfer business a fortnight ago as they confirmed that Mathys Tel had signed on a permanent basis following an initial loan deal.

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The 20-year-old Frenchman put pen to paper on a six-year deal, tying him to the club until 2031.

‘I’m very, very excited about Mathys signing with a permanent deal,’ Frank said of Tel’s switch from Bayern Munich.

‘I think he’s a very talented player who can play across the front four positions.

‘He’s a goalscorer, that we can develop even further, and be even more consistent in his all-round game and also more consistent to land in the right positions in the box. I’m looking forward to it.’

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