Manchester United have signed almost a whole new squad since Ineos arrived last summer, but the record transfer under the new management is about to come through the door.
So far, Matheus Cunha’s £62.5m move stands as the highest transfer fee Man Utd have paid under Ineos, a move that broke the record set by Leny Yoro.
Bryan Mbeumo is valued higher than Cunha by Brentford, and the negotiations for him remain ongoing.
United want to get him through the door before the squad returns for pre-season training, and Fabrizio Romano has shared the latest on the contacts the club made on Sunday (June 29, 2025).
Bryan Mbeumo in Brentford away kit with hands on hips
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Fabrizio Romano shares Bryan Mbeumo transfer latest
The saga for Mbeumo has somehow managed to stretch almost a month despite the forward making it clear that he only wants to join United.
Mbeumo’s dream is United, but Brentford, who have already lost their first-choice goalkeeper, their captain, and their head coach, have driven a hard bargain.
It was expected that United’s second bid for Mbeumo would be accepted, but the Bees are holding out for more money up front.
Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel, has now shared that United were in contact with Brentford again on Sunday, June 29, 2025, and that might have created the breakthrough needed.
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He said: “Even if it’s Sunday, the contacts continued between Brentford and Man Utd to reach an agreement for Bryan Mbeumo.
“Man Utd keep advancing. They keep their confidence and optimism to make the deal happen. They are going very strong. Now the feeling is quite positive.
“Man Utd are pushing, so don’t forget in the next few days, the ‘Here we go’ is a strong possibility for Bryan Mbeumo as a new Man Utd player.”
Final Mbeumo fee will be a verdict on Man Utd
It has been reported before that Mbeumo is seen as a more impressive signing than Cunha because there was more fierce competition and no release clause to bypass negotiations.
However, that was before it emerged that the second bid had been rejected, which is why the final fee will be a verdict on Man Utd.
United, under Ineos, have been determined to get rid of “United tax”, so they need to come out of these negotiations looking like the winners.
That will only happen if the final fee is a win of optics for United over Brentford, be it through the structure of payments or the final figure in total.
If United are seen as bowing down to Brentford’s initial demands after negotiating for almost a month, it will be a deja vu of what Woodward, Murtough, Arnold, and Co. used to do under the Glazers.
Granted, Mbeumo seems worth it, but the optics play a huge role in the market. For United, his fee will be a verdict on those optics.