Manchester United are still yet to reach an agreement for Bryan Mbeumo despite holding talks for over a month.
Frustration is boiling over in the Manchester United fanbase as each day passes without any progress made towards signing Bryan Mbeumo.
The latest report from David Ornstein suggests United are not close to signing Mbeumo despite Ineos negotiating with Brentford for close to six weeks.
United have had two bids for Mbeumo rejected by Brentford, and the Bees have now raised their asking price closer to £70 million.
Given that United are only focused on signing Mbeumo, there is confusion around why it is taking Ineos so long to get a deal over the line.
Brentford FC v Ipswich Town FC - Premier League
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Man United’s owed transfer fees could delay Bryan Mbeumo deal
Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made it public knowledge that United are not in great financial health, with the Red Devils riddled with debt.
It includes hundreds of millions owed in instalments for previous transfers, and football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes this is a key factor in the Mbeumo delay.
Speaking on GRV Media’s Beyond the Back Four podcast, Maguire said: “I think it comes down to strength. If you look at any negotiation environment, you might have two parties who have equal power, you might have one with greater power than the other.
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“Brentford don’t need to sell. The player still has a period of his contract remaining, so they are prepared to be patient.
“If you look at [Moises] Caicedo, eventually going to Chelsea but Arsenal had bid £60m six months earlier when Brighton were in a position where they didn’t need to sell.
“They then agreed a deal with Liverpool and the player decided he didn’t want to go. All three elements of this have got to work out.
“There’s no doubt that Mbeumo wants to play at Old Trafford – Manchester United are a destination club, everybody acknowledges that.
“But Brentford, in my opinion, are one of the savviest, if not the savviest club in the Premier League.
“Matthew Benham is an extremely smart guy and he won’t be brow-beaten in terms of the cash flows. Everybody focuses on the price, but is it a case of getting £60m up front, or is it spread over three years or spread over five years? That has a huge implication for Brentford and their budget.
“You look at Manchester United, they owe £400m in outstanding transfer fees so they can’t afford to write out a cheque for £65m or £70m this summer. So trying to get the nuances of the cash flows correct has to work for all parties.”
Ineos are still dealing with Glazer problems at Man United
Ineos may have been handed sporting control at Old Trafford, but Ratcliffe only owns a minority stake and the new-look leadership team are dealing with issues formed well before their arrival.
The debt at United has grown to over £730 million under the Glazers, and as pointed out by Maguire, the club also owe £400 million in transfer instalments.
Ineos are changing United’s transfer strategy to target lesser-known, younger talents and much of that is because the Red Devils cannot afford to spend like they used to.
In terms of sales, Ineos are struggling to sell stars on Glazer contracts who are now earning huge salaries that other clubs are refusing to match.
READ MORE: Bryan Mbeumo training ground decision gives Brentford transfer power, Man United have done the opposite
With no European football this season, United are missing out on around £100m of revenue from the Champions League. That alone will take a huge bite into the summer budget.
Ineos have no choice but to adopt a stubborn approach to the transfer window to make sure United don’t get trapped into overpaying.