Man Utd sign Mbeumo for reported £71M after back-and-forth with Brentford

Bryan Mbeumo joined Manchester United on Monday after drawn out negotiations between the club and Brentford culminated in a transfer reportedly worth £65 million plus £6 million in add-ons.

The 25-year-old attacker signed a contract until June 2030 with the option to extend for a further year.

The cost of the move was significantly higher than the Red Devils' initial offer of £55 million (£45 million guaranteed plus £10 million in bonuses). Brentford held out for a higher amount than the £62.5 million that United paid to sign Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier this summer, The Athletic's David Ornstein reported.

Mbeumo can now join United's preseason tour of the United States. Ruben Amorim's side takes on West Ham United at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday. United play two more games in the Premier League Summer Series the following week against Bournemouth and Everton.

Mbeumo prioritized a move to Old Trafford. Tottenham Hotspur - who are now coached by Mbeumo's former Brentford boss, Thomas Frank - expressed an interest in signing him, but he told the north London outfit that he would only leave Brentford for Old Trafford this summer, Ornstein reports.

"As soon as I knew there was a chance to join Manchester United, I had to take the opportunity to sign for the club of my dreams; the team whose shirt I wore growing up," Mbeumo said.

The Cameroonian international sometimes operated in the shadow of fellow attackers Ollie Watkins, Said Benrahma, and Ivan Toney as a raw youngster during Brentford's Championship days. However, he has since developed into one of the Premier League's most reliable forwards, ranking third behind Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Newcastle United's Alexander Isak for goal involvements in England's top flight last season, recording 20 goals and seven assists.

Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund, and Joshua Zirkzee combined for 11 fewer Premier League goal involvements than Mbeumo over the 2024-25 campaign.

Mbeumo's most notable performances for Brentford have tended to come as a winger or as part of a striking duo with Yoane Wissa. He should be able to fulfill various attacking roles in Amorim's preferred 3-4-3 formation.

Manchester United's three incoming summer transfers could exceed £140 million with the bonuses tied into the deals. Mbeumo's switch was preceded by the arrivals of Cunha from Wolves and Diego Leon from Paraguay's Cerro Porteno (a deal that could surpass £6.5 million after add-ons, according to figures from The Athletic's Mark Critchley and Jessica Hopkins).