Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic has revealed why negotiations between Manchester United and Bryan Mbeumo are stalling, although he remains optimistic that an agreement will eventually be struck between the two parties.
United experiencing difficulties in Mbeumo talks
After quickly wrapping up a deal to sign Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers, United turned their attention to Mbeumo, who was identified as the ideal profile to slot alongside Cunha in one of the two number 10 positions.
Mbeumo enjoyed a prolific 2024/25 season, which saw him notch a career-high 20 Premier League goals.
Since Brentford’s promotion to the top flight, he has been a consistent performer for the side and it was only a matter of time before bigger clubs came calling for his signature.
United lodged an opening bid worth a total £55m for him in early June but this was swiftly knocked back by Brentford. The Red Devils returned with an improved offer of £62.5m, which is what they forked out to secure Cunha’s services. There was optimism that this was the magical sum but in a shocking twist, Brentford also turned down this proposal.
United and Brentford have since been in talks to try and break the deadlock. However, there seems to be no end in sight to the saga, which has sparked some concerns and frustration among supporters.
Club legend Rio Ferdinand warned that if United fail to sign Mbeumo, they risk humiliating themselves even further. Assistant coach of the Cameroon national team, Ashu Cyprian Besong, also recently revealed that he talked to Mbeumo, who is equally frustrated with the slow progress of negotiations.
It’s understood that the forward only wants to move to United despite interest from other suitors.
Whitwell offers an explanation for the stalled transfer
According to the reliable Whitwell, the main reason a deal for Mbeumo hasn’t been finalised yet is that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS are wary of the club’s past reputation for overpaying and being exploited in the transfer market.
United have set a valuation for Mbeumo and are unwilling to exceed it. Brentford feel the same, though there’s likely room for compromise if both sides can meet in the middle.
Whitwell said on Stretford Paddock, “I still think it’ll happen. It’s just that United have overpaid for players in the past and Ratcliffe has an agenda to change that – the club also feel like they should do that. It’s prudent. They’ve made people redundant.”
“At the same time they are spending money which is probably, cumulatively, the gap for Mbeumo. I do think the Glazers might still have some oversight on this as well.”
“They are the majority owners. You spend £62.5M on Cunha, you have a similar fee [for Mbeumo], it’s more that they’d want for him. That’s quite a lot of money for two players who’re 25/26.”
He added, “I still feel like United have done so much work here that it’s different to the Branthwaite one last summer, where they made a couple of bids, they also had Leny Yoro, they had De Ligt as an alternative.”
“If they don’t get Mbeumo, they’ve already missed out on Delap, where do they go from there? That’s why I feel like it’s different, but the longer it goes on, the less confident you feel, but they’ve done so much work, I’d be stunned if they don’t follow through on it.”
🚨🗣️ @lauriewhitwell on Mbeumo:
“I still think it’ll happen. It’s just that United have overpaid for players in the past and Ratcliffe has an agenda to change that – the club also feel like they should do that. It’s prudent. They’ve made people redundant. At the same time they… pic.twitter.com/YCpB9lLm5m
— UtdXclusive (@UtdXclusive) July 10, 2025
Whitwell pointed out that Mbeumo will return to Brentford for pre-season next week, and his demeanour could prove decisive. If he lacks focus and it’s clear his head has been turned by Ruben Amorim’s side, then this could massively work in United’s favour as it would be detrimental for Brentford to have that kind of mindset within their ranks.
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
