Bryan Mbeumo celebrates after a Brentford goal.
Bryan Mbeumo is on Manchester United's wish list.
Following a disastrous 2024/25 campaign, Manchester United have been left with no choice but to show some ambition in this summer's transfer window.
After wrapping up the £62.5million signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolves earlier this month, United now want to make Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo their second signing of the summer.
The Cameroonian, 25, has informed confidants he wants to make the switch to Old Trafford this summer and United have already seen a £55m offer for his signature knocked back. However, discussions with Brentford are understood to remain ongoing.
After developing a habit of signing Dutch-centric under former boss Erik ten Hag, United's recruitment strategy is changing for the better this summer. After signing Cunha and now being in hot pursuit of Mbeumo, it is clear they want proven Premier League talent.
In Cunha, United have secured the signature of a specialist No.10 who fits Ruben Amorim's 3-4-2-1 formation like a glove. He also scored 15 Premier League goals last season.
By signing a player who has already developed a respectable track record for cutting the mustard in England's top tier, United will be hoping he can hit the ground running at the start of next season.
Expected to occupy the left-sided No.10 berth, Cunha will be responsible for creating goals and scoring them. He had a direct hand in 21 goals in 33 league appearances in 2024/25, assisting six in addition to the 15 he netted himself.
Mbeumo, who is being targeted to play as the right-sided No.10, exceeded Cunha's tally by five, helping himself to 20 Premier League goals. Only Liverpool ace Mohamed Salah (29), Alexander Isak of Newcastle United (23) and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland (22) got more.
Mbeumo was one of the stars of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, and it is exciting and refreshing to see United in pursuit of one of the division's best players. If he arrives at Old Trafford, he will, just like Cunha, be expected to hit the ground running.
Bryan Mbeumo would be an excellent signing. (Image: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images.)
However, neither of them spent last season at a club where the pressure can be comparable with what it is at Old Trafford. That will be a big test of their character.
But with Cunha having made it clear he wanted to join United and no-one else this summer, and Mbeumo prepared to turn down a reunion with Thomas Frank at Tottenham Hotspur in favour of a move to Old Trafford, it says everything you need to know about their hunger to don the famous red shirt.
Securing Mbeumo's signature would send out a real statement of intent. Although he is not the goalscorer United want to fill the No.9 spot, he would be joining them on the back of a 20-goal season, meaning they would expect him to contribute.
United have not had a player score 20 Premier League goals or more in a single campaign since Robin van Persie plundered 26 in Sir Alex Ferguson's final season in charge in 2012/13. A club of United's stature should be able to rely on a 20-goal-a-season man.
Both Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo went close to scoring 20 Premier League goals in a single season in recent years, each falling short by two in 2020/21 and 2021/22 respectively. Marcus Rashford scored 17 league goals when he scored 30 times across all competitions in 2022/23.
If Mbeumo were to join United and get anywhere close to reaching 20 goals next season, he would instantly enter the conversation to be ranked as their best signing post-Ferguson. Just getting into double figures, particularly when he is not an out-and-out centre-forward, would be considered a success for a debut season at Old Trafford.
United need a natural goalscorer this summer to shoulder the attacking burden, but having a player of Mbeumo's quality and capability in front of goal would ease the pressure. The same can be said of Cunha.
With no United player having scored 20 league goals in a campaign for 12 years, Mbeumo would be a significant upgrade on their current attacking options.