Bryan Mbeumo's previous transfer was a drawn-out affair, offering hope to Manchester United as they strive to get a deal for the Brentford striker over the line this summer
Bryan Mbeumo
Manchester United remain in the hunt for Bryan Mbeumo
(Image: Getty Images)
Securing a deal for Bryan Mbeumo is no walk in the park, as Brentford's technical director Lee Dykes can attest.
The Cameroon forward remains at the top of Manchester United's list of targets as Ruben Amorim looks to bolster his attacking options. Despite having a second bid turned down, United are still hopeful of landing Mbeumo after submitting another offer of more than £60million.
Mbeumo joined Brentford from French club Troyes in 2019, but it wasn't an easy chase for Dykes, who had just moved from Bury FC at the time. He told the Bees' website in December 2023: "I felt big pressure because I walked into a function where I was trying to take forward some of the good work that had already been done.
"Coming into Brentford, I'd never really spent a lot of money. I'd always worked at League One and League Two level.
"The most I'd spent was £50,000 on a player, and then six weeks later we are paying €5million for Bryan Mbeumo. So obviously you start to think, 'Wow, this is big money.' But, at the end of the day, it's just different money, same process."
Dykes, along with co-director of football Rasmus Ankersen and head coach Thomas Frank, made a rapid visit to France to try and finalise a deal for Mbeumo.
Bryan Mbeumo.
Mbeumo was worth the effort for Brentford(Image: Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
"We were figuring that there was a possibility to sign Bryan," recalled Dykes. "We had cleverly sourced that information, having been told that he wouldn't entertain the Championship.
"It became quickly apparent that we had to get in and out of France in a day as Thomas (Frank) had his training commitments because it was near to the season starting."
There were logistical challenges to overcome ahead of the meeting, as Dykes explained: "Where the meeting was going to take place, there was no airport close enough we could find from London or a route to do in one day, so we didn't know if we could make it work.
"I remember Rasmus just calling me up saying, 'I spoke to Matthew (Benham, club owner) and he said he'll fire up a jet and we'll get over there' – at that point, I was just thinking, 'Wow!'
"But that's when I started to feel the pressure. I'd lined it all up with Troyes, as well as the agents that were involved, so me, Thomas and Rasmus got on this jet.
Matthew Benham, owner of Brentford
Brentford owner Matthew Benham organised a private jet as the club tried to complete a deal for Mbeumo
(Image: Getty Images)
"We got there, it was one of the hottest days of the year, it had reached about 43°C when we landed. It was a 60-minute journey and the air conditioning wasn't working in the taxi we got in!"
Despite that effort, initial talks came to nothing. Dykes said: "We had the meeting, spoke with the player, the club and the agent, but the deal broke down. So, I had convinced everyone to fly over to France to get this deal done – I thought it was going to get done – but it had broken down.
"On the way back, and I'm not a good flyer in general, the pilot turned to us and said, 'It's chaotic weather in London, it's snowing, there's thunder, there's lightning.' I was thinking, 'What? It was 43 degrees when we left France.'
"And the journey back was horrendous – I could see the pilot avoiding the dark spots on the radar. I was bricking it!"
However, the Mbeumo chase had a happy ending. Dykes added: "But, fortunately, we landed safely and, more importantly, managed to turn around the deal a few days later and eventually sign him. So, Brentford fans must know that I risked my life to sign Bryan Mbeumo!"
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