Manchester United are understood to have finally reached an agreement with Brentford to sign Bryan Mbeumo in a deal worth a total of £71million.
United have declined to comment on reports that they have offered £65m plus £6m in add-ons for Mbeumo, but it’s believed that that the 25-year-old Cameroon forward will now undergo a medical.
Mbeumo won’t complete the move in time to join up with his new teammates when United play their first pre-season friendly against Leeds in Stockholm on Saturday, but he is set to be included on the club’s US tour when Ruben Amorim and his players fly to Chicago next week.
Having failed with two bids totalling £55m and £62.5m last month, United made a third attempt on Thursday when they raised their offer to £70m. The final agreement includes an extra £1m in add-ons.
Mbeumo will become United’s third signing of this transfer window following the arrivals of Matheus Cunha and teenage defender Diego Leon.
The player has got his dream move after insisting that he would only leave Brentford for United amid rival interest from Tottenham, and Amorim has landed his two top targets to fill the No.10 roles in his 3-4-2-1 system by spending in excess of £130m on Cunha and Mbeumo.
The 25-year-old is United’s third summer signing after they also completed a deal for teenage full-back Diego Leon from Paraguayan outfit Cerro Porteno.
Mbeumo, who scored 20 Premier League goals last season, had also accrued interest from Arsenal, Newcastle United, and Tottenham, who are now managed by his former Brentford boss Thomas Frank.
The former France youth international joined Brentford for £5.8m in 2019 and he has gone on to score 70 goals in 242 games, including 42 in 136 Premier League matches as he flourished into one of the deadliest forwards in the country.
Having come through French side Troyes’ academy, he helped secure Brentford’s first ever Premier League promotion in 2021.
That all came under the stewardship of Frank, who was unveiled as Tottenham’s new head coach – following the sacking of Ange Postecoglou – last month, having spent nine years at the Bees, seven of which came as manager.
Finding the back of the net proved to be one of the biggest problems for United last season.
Their poor showing in front of goal is one of the reasons why Mbeumo has been seen as such a priority signing by director of football Jason Wilcox and the rest of the footballing hierarchy.
The Red Devils scored just 44 goals in the Premier League last campaign which was the second lowest of any non-relegated side, and was a record low for the club in the Premier League era.
