After weeks of speculation, Mbeumo was officially unveiled as a United player on Monday evening, just ahead of their pre-season trip to the United States. ..Continue Reading
The 25-year-old forward has penned a five-year contract with the option to extend for an additional season.
He made the switch from Brentford for an initial sum of £65 million, with the total potentially reaching £71 million depending on performance-related bonuses.
Reports now suggest that United are displeased with how Brentford handled certain aspects of the negotiation process for the Cameroon international.
ESPN’s Rob Dawson wrote: “Fair to say that Man United aren’t thrilled with how Brentford handled the Mbeumo negotiation.
“View is that their valuation changed repeatedly and at one point it was as high as £70m + £7m.
“Also believe Brentford wanted Mbeumo to reject United in favour of Newcastle or Spurs.”
Newcastle were reportedly exploring the possibility of signing Mbeumo as they searched for a right-wing option to strengthen their attack.
Once it became evident that Mbeumo was heading elsewhere, they shifted focus back to Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga, who eventually joined for a fee of £55 million.
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank was also keen to reunite with his former player, but Mbeumo had already committed to a move to Manchester.
Instead, Spurs turned their attention to Mohammed Kudus, securing his signature from West Ham for the same amount.
They’ve also shown interest in Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, submitting a £60 million offer for the creative midfielder.
Relations between the two clubs have since soured, with Forest reportedly cutting off talks and threatening legal action over what they claim was an improper approach.
From United’s perspective, Mbeumo is expected to add much-needed firepower to a frontline that struggled last season.
He found the net 20 times in the Premier League, although his tally included five penalties and exceeded his expected goals, making a repeat performance uncertain.
Paired with Matheus Cunha, who contributed 15 league goals, Mbeumo should offer manager Ruben Amorim a more potent attacking duo.
He’s also among the league’s most inventive forwards, with Yoane Wissa benefiting significantly from his creativity at Brentford.
Only Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak registered more combined goals and assists in the previous campaign.
Mbeumo’s arrival aligns with INEOS’s apparent recruitment strategy of targeting Premier League-proven players in their peak years.
While the transfer fee may raise eyebrows, it could be a worthwhile investment to give Amorim the tools he needs to compete.
And if United manage to bring in a top striker as well, their attacking setup could be completely revitalized in just one window.
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