Bryan Mbeumo Man United transfer latest – ‘wait’ on Brentford ‘demand’, sporting director claim
Manchester United are still looking to sign a new attacker as the season gets underway on August 15.
With just over a month to go until the Premier League kicks off, Ruben Amorim will be eager to bolster his squad ahead of pre-season preparations, which begin later this month. United are set to return to the United States for the Premier League’s Summer Series, where they’ll face West Ham, Bournemouth, and Everton.
Amorim will be hopeful of having new signings in place by then – with Bryan Mbeumo potentially among them. So far, Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon have completed moves to Old Trafford from Wolves and Cerro Porteno, respectively.
With that said, MEN Sport has taken a look at the latest headlines surrounding Mbeumo.
Rejected bids
United had an opening offer totalling £55million rejected in early June and returned with an improved bid of more than £60m but Brentford rebuffed the advance.
No ‘breakthrough’ yet
Nearly a month has passed since United had their initial bid for Mbeumo rejected. They returned with a second bid but that still fell short of Brentford’s valuation of their forward and for now the Cameroon international remains in west London.
However, United remain confident of securing the services of the 25-year-old but as yet no breakthrough has materialised. The two clubs remain locked in talks with Brentford holding out for an improved offer and United seeking to find a compromise.
Brentford are standing their ground and until United stump up the cash, the Londoners will hold firm. The longer the saga goes on, the more chance there is of the dial moving towards United as both sides seek a conclusion amid the player’s preference to move to Old Trafford.
Brentford ‘demand’
The Athletic have claimed that Brentford are using a supposed £70m bid from Tottenham as a benchmark. Discussions are reported to be ongoing over a restructured bid.
It is added that Brentford are closing in on a deal for Feyenoord’s Antoni Milambo. The attacking midfielder is joining for a £17m fee plus £4.25m in add-ons and could potentially be seen as a replacement for Mbeumo.
‘The interest is inevitable’
Brentford sporting director Phil Giles has spoken about the possibility of Mbeumo staying at the Gtech Stadium beyond the summer. “There’s significant interest in Bryan. I think it’s been documented and publicised about, you know, his current preference,” Giles revealed.
“From what I understand, if needs be, he’s happy to stay at Brentford next year as well, so listen, let’s see on that. I think our position is he had an unbelievable season last year and we expected interest in him. If that deal is right, then there’s a deal to do, but if not, then he’ll stay.”
When probed about the likelihood of Mbeumo staying put, Giles said: “We’ve spoken to Bryan and his representatives. It’s not a given that he is going to depart this summer.
“There is interest. He had a great season last season, so the interest is inevitable. If we get the right offer, there is potentially a deal to be done, but there’s only so much we can say on that.”
‘Depends on how bad the manager wants him’
Former Reds forward Lee Sharpe believes his old club will only meet Brentford’s asking price for Mbeumo if Amorim really wants him.
“It depends on how bad the manager wants him,” he told Express Sport with Razed. “If they want him that bad, they will end up paying the price and he brings goals at Brentford in what is a tidy side but not a top of the table or top four dominant team that will create more chances than the opposition.
“His record speaks for itself with plenty of goals, chances created, and he has lots of pace to trouble defences in behind. His work rate is really good and he is happy to track back and do the ugly stuff. He will be hungry and is young which is what United need at the moment.”
