Manchester United have agreed a deal worth more than £70m to sign Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford. A fee of £65m will be paid up front and a further £6m could follow in add-ons.
The Cameroonian, who scored 20 Premier League goals last season, has been a key target for Ruben Amorim. United first made an offer for Mbeumo six weeks ago and had a number of bids rejected. Mbeumo made clear he wanted to move to Old Trafford despite interest at Tottenham from his former head coach Thomas Frank, and personal terms are not thought to be an issue.
Mbeumo is in line to become United’s third signing of the summer after the Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha, who cost £62.5m from Wolves, and the Paraguayan full-back Diego León. Mbeumo is likely to be used by Amorim in one of the two No 10 spots in a 3-4-3 formation. United are also eager to sign a striker and maintain an interest in Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson.
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Mbeumo is due to join United’s tour to the United States, which starts next week, allowing time for the 25-year-old to integrate and understand Amorim’s demands and style.
The fee is an impressive profit for Brentford, who signed Mbeumo from Troyes in 2019 for £5.8m. He spent two seasons in the Championship before winning promotion and scoring 42 goals in 136 Premier League appearances.
Considering the summer’s outlays, United will want to secure fees for five players who are not part of Amorim’s plans. Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Jadon Sancho and Tyrell Malacia want to leave and the club have allowed them time away from training to seek exits.
