Manchester United’s pursuit of Bryan Mbeumo must be near conclusion after weeks of negotiation with Brentford.
June has been a busy month for Manchester United, despite having little to show for it.
The transfer window began in rapid fashion, with Matheus Cunha signed from Wolves for £62.5m. It then seemed like a second deal was on the cards for Bryan Mbeumo, with a bid for the Cameroonian submitted the following week.
United’s first bid for Mbeumo was rejected, with it valued at around £45m plus an additional £10m in add-ons.
Since then, talks have been ongoing for weeks with all parties looking to find a resolution. United have now offered more than £60m for Mbeumo, which is closer to where Brentford’s price point is; with confidence, it is only a matter of time.
One key aspect of the £60m offer is that United will pay more upfront, which was the main sticking point in the deal. Brentford used United’s own transfer business to convince Ineos to raise the offer north of £60m.
Here is how.
Bryan Mbeumo of Brentford controls the ball.
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Why Brentford brought up Matheus Cunha in Bryan Mbeumo negotiations
United set out this summer to add goals to the squad, and did just that with Cunha and Mbeumo having a combined 35 goals in the Premier League last season. This is just nine less than the entire Red Devils squad managed.
Adding Premier League-proven forwards should be a massive upgrade for United, but it also comes at a price, as Ineos set the precedent with £62.5m for Cunha.
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It has been claimed by Paul Hirst and The Times that Brentford compared Mbeumo with Cunha during talks with United.
While negotiating for Mbeumo, United had it pointed out that Mbeumo has four years of Premier League experience, which is 18 months more than Cunha. The Cameroonian also scored 20, five more goals than Cunha, last season.
When laid out like this, it is a reasonable request that Mbeumo’s fee be close to Cunha’s, and now that £60m has been reached, a deal should be very close.
Combined, Cunha and Mbeumo form one of the deadliest front lines in the league, and fans should be very excited to see it in action.
Where Manchester United expect Mbeumo to play under Ruben Amorim
Mbeumo is a serious coup for United, beating Champions League clubs to his signature as he looks as close to a sure thing as possible.
The 26-year-old will likely slot into the right-sided number 10 role at United, where he is a seamless fit alongside Cunha. However, Laurie Whitwell has reported for The Athletic that Mbeumo is seen as versatile and a player who can occasionally fill in as a striker.
Over five years at Brentford, Mbeumo played up front 32 times, scoring 13 goals and contributing five assists as a striker, scoring against Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, and West Ham.
However, there is doubt over whether Mbeumo suits the lone striker role that Amorim’s system demands, having always played in a front two, although he would be well supported by Cunha in the 10 role, which would likely see him pushing forward at times.