Man United need to get the signing of Bryan Mbeumo wrapped up as quickly as possible - and they could be set for a welcomed helping hand.
Bryan Mbeumo celebrates after scoring for Brentford by looking up to the sky.
Manchester United remain desperate to sign Bryan Mbeumo.(Image: Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images.)
Manchester United's hopes of sealing a deal to sign Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo could be boosted thanks to a potential £15million cash injection.
United have been in talks with the Bees for more than a month amid their eagerness to extract their prize possession from the Gtech Community Stadium. Mbeumo is just as keen on a move to M16, but negotiations are beginning to drag on.
United saw an opening offer of £55m turned down in the first week of June before submitting a second offer, understood to be in excess of £60m, just over a fortnight ago. It looked as though that offer was set to be enough to lure him to Old Trafford.
After scoring 20 Premier League goals last season, Brentford are holding out for as high a fee as possible for the Cameroon international. There has been increasing speculation that £70m is the magic number the Londoners are looking for.
United are having to tread a fine line between not overspending and giving head coach Ruben Amorim the tools he so desperately needs this summer. They have prioritised strengthening their attack and have already signed Matheus Cunha for £62.5m.
United also want to sign a centre-forward this summer to come in and spearhead their attack. However, that particular mission is proving difficult to solve amid United's need to raise funds via player sales.
Fortunately, United are poised to generate cash from elsewhere this summer. Former winger Anthony Elanga finalised his switch from Nottingham Forest to Newcastle United on Friday night and the Reds are in line to inherit a percentage of the initial £52m fee the Midlands outfit have banked.
When United sold the Swede to Forest in July 2023, they inserted a sell-on clause into the deal, ensuring they would benefit from him improving at the City Ground and then potentially being sold. United will bank 15 per cent of the profit Forest have made on Elanga, meaning they will bank somewhere in the region of £5.5m.
Forest bought Elanga for £15m, meaning they have made a £37m profit. His move to Newcastle could eventually be worth £55m.
Anthony Elanga stands with his back to the camera to show his name on the back of a Newcastle United shirt.
Anthony Elanga has joined Newcastle United.
(Image: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images.)
United are also in line to benefit from left-back Alvaro Carreras' impending move to Real Madrid from Benfica. He joined the Portuguese club from the Reds in May last year and has developed at such speed that a move to the Bernabeu is now reportedly close.
It is claimed he will join Madrid for £43.3m. Benfica paid just over £5m to sign him from United and once again the Reds inserted a sell-on clause to benefit from a potential sale.
Just like in the case of Elanga, United will earn a percentage of the profit. With United in line for a 20 per cent cut, they look set to inherit £7.62m.
Meanwhile, former United youngster Maxi Oyedele continues to be linked with an exit from Legia Warsaw less than a year after arriving from Old Trafford. The Reds sold him for a minimal fee, but covered themselves by inserting a sell-on clause into the deal.
He excelled in his debut season in Poland, helping Legia win the Polish Cup, and he is now attracting interest from a cluster of European clubs, including from the Championship. His release clause is worth €6m (£5.2m at the current exchange rate).
With United understood to be entitled to 40 per cent of that fee, they will secure around £2m in the event of him being sold this summer.
It means United could find themselves inheriting up to £15.12m from the sales of players they sold in previous windows. It is not a sum that could be described as game-changing for a club of United's stature, but it could make all the difference in their pursuit of Mbeumo.