Bryan Mbeumo cuts a frustrated figure while in action for Brentford.
Bryan Mbeumo wants to join Manchester United this summer.
With Manchester United's players back in the building at Carrington, the countdown to the start of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign is officially on.
will kick off the new season against Arsenal at Old Trafford in a little over five weeks time, meaning the clock is ticking amid head coach quest to overhaul his squad this summer.
The United chief has already been able to land one of his top targets, securing services from Wolves for £62.5million last month, but progress on other fronts has since slowed.
United looked set to build on the signing of Cunha by also getting a deal over the line nice and early for Brentford star . This publication after United had submitted a second offer in excess of £60m.
However, the Bees moved the goalposts and United are yet to lodge a third bid for the Cameroonian, who plundered a very impressive 20 Premier League goals last season.
Mbeumo, 25, has made it clear to Brentford that he wants to move to Old Trafford this summer, meaning both United and the player are equally keen to get a deal wrapped up as soon as possible. However, some supporters are beginning to get itchy feet at the length of time it is taking and are fearing United are getting dragged into a never-ending saga.
Originally, United set a target of signing Mbeumo in time for the start of pre-season training. and Diego Leon and Cunha were the only new additions to be introduced to their new teammates.
Despite United's desperate need for fresh blood this summer, they are not thought to be close to completing any other signings at this stage. Player sales remain key to their hopes of strengthening Amorim's squad and the club is yet to oversee a permanent departure in this window.
Amorim's troops will step up their pre-season preparations at the end of next week when they travel to Stockholm to face Premier League counterparts Leeds United in their opening friendly. They will then travel to the United States a few days later for their pre-season tour.
Manchester United have been chasing Bryan Mbeumo for more than a month. (Image: Alex Davidson/Getty Images.)
With a fortnight to go until United are scheduled to fly to the US, they are approaching a key period in the transfer window. Amorim, just like every other head coach and manager, will have the ambition of having the bulk of his transfer business done ahead of the start of the season, ensuring new signings get as long as possible to get to know their new teammates and what is expected of them ahead of the competitive action starting in August.
, which was worth £55m, more than a month ago, meaning everyone anticipated a deal would be wrapped up by now. Instead, the saga is still rumbling on and a second bid north of £60m has not been enough.
United are prioritising strengthening their attack this summer and put down an early marker by signing Cunha. Having then set a target of signing Mbeumo in time for the start of pre-season, United made it crystal clear that they wanted to move at speed.
Having missed that particular deadline, United must now attempt to get the former Troyes man through the door ahead of flying across the Atlantic in a fortnight's time. Their opening game of the Premier League Summer Series is against West Ham United on July 27.
It would be ideal if United could get Mbeumo through the door by then as they are unlikely to have landed an out-and-out centre-forward, which is another leading priority this summer, by the time they face the Hammers in New Jersey.
The prospect of having Cunha and Mbeumo in attack in time for the tour would supplement the absence of a new chief striker. They scored 37 goals between them last season and will be able to ease the burden on whoever ends up being Amorim's starting No.9.
But with the clock ticking and the start of the tour now just over a fortnight away, United are in a race against time to bring this saga to an end and make Mbeumo their latest summer signing.