Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has “played a role” in convincing Bryan Mbeumo to prioritise a move to the Red Devils, according to a report.
Mbeumo is a key target at Old Trafford this summer after enjoying the best campaign of his career for Brentford this season.
The 25-year-old forward returned 20 goals and eight assists in the Premier League with only Mohammed Salah, Alexander Isak and Erling Haaland scoring more.
United’s attack, by comparison, has struggled as the club produced its worst season in living memory with a 15th-placed finish and a paltry 44 league goals. The only sides who scored fewer were Everton and the three relegated teams, Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton.
It’s evident why United have identified free-scoring Mbeumo as a target with the Brentford star’s positional versatility – he’s played as a striker, winger, and wing-back at the Gtech Community Stadium – also an attractive proposition within Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system.
An opening proposal was tabled worth £55 million (£45m plus £10m in add-ons) but was rejected. Brentford are holding out for offers in excess of £60 million, citing United’s £62.5 million signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers as a benchmark to sanction Mbeumo’s departure.
Tottenham Hotspur are also interested in signing Mbeumo after appointing Frank as a replacement for Ange Postecoglou last week, with sources revealing they are now “aggressively pursuing” a deal to reunite the pair in North London, as per the Manchester Evening News.
But the Cameroon international has signalled his preference is a move to Old Trafford, despite the Lilywhites’ advances. He is even willing to turn down more money from Spurs to seal a switch to United.
And the Reds could have the efforts of Mbeumo’s international teammate and United number one, Onana, to thank for this.
The Manchester Evening News reveals Onana, 29, has “advised” Mbeumo to join United and played a “role in swaying [his] Cameroon teammate” towards the Theatre of Dreams.
Onana endured a miserable campaign between the sticks for United last season. He made a series of high-profile mistakes after Amorim’s appointment in November, despite starting the year in fine form under Erik ten Hag.
However, the report states the Cameroonian goalkeeper is “expected to stay” this summer and enjoys a “warm working relationship” with Amorim. And it will likely become even warmer if Onana plays a role in helping clinch a deal for Mbeumo ahead of a domestic 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.
