Man Utd are in talks to sign another attacking midfielder in the summer transfer window.
He hasn't even signed for Manchester United yet, but Bryan Mbeumo has already been given a taste of the scrutiny he will receive if, and when, he moves to Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim has secured a deal to sign Matheus Cunha from Wolves and he wants another attacking midfielder to add to his options next season. Mbeumo is viewed as an ideal fit for their style of play, while he is also understood to relish the challenge of bringing glory back to the club.
Mbeumo has indicated he would like to move to United as he looks for the next challenge in his career and an opportunity to win trophies with a club that has reached five finals in the last five years. Another key aspect is profile. The 25-year-old rose to prominence at Brentford as one of the unsung stars of the Premier League, but a move to Manchester would amplify his reputation to a global star. It would also, naturally, mean he gets paid more. A topic that has been discussed at length in the media this week.
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How United can already afford Mbuemo wages
Bryan Mbeumo reportedly earns £50,000-a-week at Brentford and it has been claimed he will demand a salary of £250,000-a-week should he move to Manchester. It would be a whopping increase, but it might be the price they have to pay if they are to secure his signature amid interest from Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham.
Those rumoured demands come at a time when United are looking to trim their wage bill, but that doesn't mean they won't be achievable. United could further incentivise the player by setting those earnings as the highest he could earn when they get back into European football, with a 25 percent wage decrease already in place every season the club plays without Champions League football.
According to Spotrac, Mbeumo could become the joint-fourth highest earner at United next season on a similar wage to that of Mason Mount and Jadon Sancho. There is no escaping that fact that it would be a lot of money for a player who has not played for an elite club before, but it is money they can afford due to their summer business.
United have already announced Christian Eriksen, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans will leave the club as free agents at the end of the month, with the trio understood to earn an accumulative £335,000-a-week in wages. That would already cover roughly 75 per cent of the wages Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha would reportedly require.
Another key detail is the wages United intend to save. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony are among the players almost certain the leave the club this summer, with the preference to secure permanent transfers for the trio, rather than loan exits. It is estimated they earn a whopping £750,000-a-week in their combined wages, and even if one of them were to leave on a loan deal, an enormous saving would still be made this summer.
Mbeumo and Cunha might be expensive, but that doesn't make them unaffordable.
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