Manchester United are joined in the hunt for Bryan Mbeumo by Premier League rivals Arsenal and Newcastle United, Fabrizio Romano reveals.
Mbeumo has emerged as one of the most effective forwards in England this season as the Cameroonian international has taken on the mantle of leading Brentford’s attack in the wake of Ivan Toney’s departure.
While many had predicted Thomas Frank’s side would struggle after Toney joined Al-Ahli last summer, Mbeumo has combined with DR Congo striker Yoanne Wissa to improve Brentford’s attack in the absence of the club’s record goal-scorer.
Last season, the Bees scored 56 goals while finishing 16th. This campaign has seen them total 66 goals and place 10th in the table.
Mbeumo has returned 20 goals and provided eight assists – only Mohammed Salah, Alexander Isak and Erling Haaland have scored more – while Wissa clocks in with 19 strikes.
It constitutes the best season in Mbeumo’s career and confirms his ascension to Brentford’s talisman and one of the most in-demand players in the Premier League.
United have identified the winger as a key target to upgrade Ruben Amorim’s misfiring forward line with attacking reinforcements considered an urgent priority at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils finished the season in 15th with only four sides having scored fewer times than Amorim’s side – Everton and the three relegated teams, Ipswich Town, Leicester City, and Southampton.
Mbeumo would offer a radical improvement on the existing options at United in terms of a reliable source of goals, while helping to raise the athletic floor of the team – an area Amorim has demanded the club prioritise in new recruits.
The Cameroonian is also positionally versatile, having played as a striker, a right-winger, a right-sided number ten, and even as a right wing-back for Brentford in recent years.
It’s evident, therefore, why United are targeting Mbeumo with the club reported to have “held talks” over a summer switch. But the Reds face fierce competition from a domestic rival, with Newcastle reported to be in “pole position” to sign the winger.
However, as Romano reveals on his YouTube channel, Mbeumo is also being tracked by Arsenal with the Gunners “monitoring” Mbeumo’s situation at the Gtech Community Stadium, alongside United and Newcastle.
“Brian Mbeumo is a player [United] like. So for sure he remains on the list but they know they are not alone. There are several clubs interested – Newcastle, Arsenal, many clubs. So let me say that Man United, Newcastle, Arsenal are all clubs monitoring the player.”
United have already lost a key target to a domestic rival this summer after Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap rebuffed the club’s advances in favour of a move to Chelsea. If INEOS do not act quickly and decisively in their pursuit of Mbeumo, it could be a case of Groundhog Day for the Red Devils with a different rival.
Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
