Manchester United target Bryan Mbeumo was absent when Brentford returned to pre-season training this week as the Reds consider making a third bid.
Manchester United have turned their attention to securing a third summer signing, following the confirmed additions of Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon.
Cunha, 26, arrived from Wolves in a £62.5 million deal, while 18-year-old Leon was signed from Paraguayan side Cerro Porteño for an initial £3 million, with the fee potentially rising to £7 million through performance-based add-ons.
The club remains in talks with Brentford over Bryan Mbeumo, though earlier bids of £55 million and £62.5 million have been rejected.
Ruben Amorim was eager to have the Premier League-proven forward in the building for the start of pre-season but that has not been able to happen. Meanwhile, Brentford have also returned to action this week.
Mbeumo misses Brentford pre-season training
Much has been made of United’s return to action but at the same time many Premier League clubs are also back in their training grounds.
Brentford have an important pre-season after appointing Keith Andrews as their new head coach as Thomas Frank moved to Tottenham Hotspur.
The West London side returned to training on Monday, like United, and it was quickly noticed that Mbeumo was not pictured in any of their training images.
Obviously, that alone does not necessarily mean he wasn’t in attendance, but Mbeumo confirmed the suspicions later on Monday evening when he posted an Instagram story of him in California, USA.
Following on from this it was reported by Sam Tabuteau that Brentford have given Mbeumo an extra week off, but there was no explanation as to why they have done this.
“It was thought Mbeumo would report back this Monday as he wasn’t on international duty. The club, however, told him he won’t have to report until next Monday,” Tabuteau wrote on X.
Mbeumo deal still likely to be completed
United fans are understandably growing impatient with the drawn-out nature of the saga, but all signs still suggest the deal is on track to be completed.
Much like Amorim is keen to move on unwanted players swiftly, Brentford boss Andrews likely doesn’t want an unsettled Mbeumo in his squad, and the club would prefer to reinvest the funds sooner rather than later.
This is likely why Mbeumo has been granted extended time off, with a strong chance the transfer to United will be finalised before the start of next week.
Mbeumo is eager to join United—just like Cunha—and both are expected to play key roles for the club in the upcoming season.
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