Brentford star, Bryan Mbeumo, is reportedly on the verge of rejecting a move to Arsenal, with Manchester United now leading the race for his signature.
The 25-year-old winger, who has also attracted interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, appears to have his sights set on a switch to Old Trafford.
If completed, the move would mark United’s second major acquisition this summer following the arrival of Matheus Cunha from Wolves.
Mbeumo, whose current deal with Brentford expires in 12 months, is widely expected to depart during this transfer window.
After a sensational campaign in which he netted 20 Premier League goals, ranking as the fourth-highest scorer and provided eight assists, top clubs across the division have taken notice.
Notably, Mbeumo featured in every one of Brentford’s 38 league matches this past season, underlining both his durability and consistency.
According to The Athletic, the Cameroon international is now preparing to enter into contract discussions with the Red Devils.
Brentford are said to be demanding a £50 million fee for their prized asset. Speaking about the possibility of losing the forward, manager Thomas Frank, who himself is linked with a potential move to manage Tottenham, acknowledged the growing interest.
“If the right price — and that’s going to be expensive — is coming, then I’m sure the club will be open to it,” said Frank.
He continued: “I can definitely understand the interest in him. There should be interest in him.
“He is at his best age, he has scored 20 goals. I would like to keep him, but we are a selling club so if someone comes in with the right price…”
Mbeumo originally joined Brentford from French outfit Troyes in 2020 when the Bees were still in the Championship.
Since then, he has racked up 70 goals in 242 appearances for the West London side.
Should the transfer go through, it would provide a significant boost to a goal-shy Manchester United side that failed to produce a single player in double digits in league goals this season.
Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo were the team’s joint-top scorers, both finishing on eight goals.
United are also reportedly exploring a move for former Fulham forward Aleksandar Mitrovic.
The Serbian striker, who moved to Al-Hilal last summer for around £50 million, enjoyed a prolific season in the Saudi Pro League, bagging 19 goals in just 23 matches.
His goals-per-game ratio even eclipsed the likes of Karim Benzema, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Ivan Toney.
United’s pursuit of Mitrovic may have intensified following the collapse of a deal for their top striker target, Liam Delap, who is now on the verge of joining Chelsea.
