Man United are set to complete the signing of Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo in time for their pre-season tour of the United States.
Manchester United are closing in on the signing of Bryan Mbeumo after finally reaching an agreement with the Brentford for the attacker’s signature.
As reported by the Manchester Evening News on Friday, United have agreed a deal that could eventually be worth up to £70million. The Reds will pay a fixed fee of £65m and potentially a further £5m in add-ons.
Despite how long negotiations have taken between the two clubs, United always maintained a sense of confidence they would be able to lure the Cameroon international, who scored 20 Premier League goals last season, to Old Trafford.
United’s players and staff will fly to the US on Tuesday and the club hope Mbeumo will be on that flight. The Reds face West Ham United in their opening game of the Premier League Summer Series on Sunday (12midnight BST).
With United now on the cusp of adding Mbeumo to head coach Ruben Amorim’s squad, MEN Sport has looked at three ways the Cameroonian could slot into the Portuguese chief’s plans on the tour.
Mbeumo joins the attack
After scoring 20 Premier League goals in 2024/25, nobody would question Amorim deploying Mbeumo in the front three. The 25-year-old was one of the Premier League’s best players last season and was directly involved in 27 goals.
He predominantly played as a right-winger, cutting inside onto his trusty left foot. United will be hoping he can flex his muscles in a similar way at Old Trafford, albeit in a different formation.
Mbeumo is a versatile operator, meaning he should comfortably be able to adapt to Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system and operate as the right-sided No.10. Matheus Cunha is a shoo-in for the left-sided No.10 berth, meaning he and Mbeumo can become United’s chief playmakers and support the central striker.
On the flank
With Amorim constantly demanding his wing-backs to get up the pitch and support the attackers, they are essentially wingers. The onus is on them to provide width and create chances.
Mbeumo has built his career as a winger and would be effective on the right in Amorim’s system. The former Troyes man is set to be in direct competition with Amad for either the No.10 spot or right wing-back berth, creating a healthy rivalry.
United’s right flank has been a weak spot for a number of years and Mbeumo has the quality and capacity to finally fix it. Patrick Dorgu is more defensive minded, and the Dane starting on the left would give United a sense of balance if Mbeumo starts on the right.
Deputising up front
Despite signing Cunha and being on the cusp of landing Mbeumo, United still have ambitions to sign an out-and-out No.9 this summer. Signing a striker was their top priority at the start of the window and that remains the case.
However, after missing out on Liam Delap to Chelsea, United are yet to settle on an alternative, and it could be a case of them having to bide their time in their search for a reliable goalscorer. United have often landed their top target late in the window in recent years.
In the absence of the addition of a new No.9, Rasmus Hojlund is in pole position to remain top of the pecking order for the pre-season tour. Chido Obi is expected to provide competition.
However, Mbeumo is capable of leading the line as a makeshift centre-forward. It should not be his natural role at United, but he was tasked with playing through the middle on a handful of occasions last season and did not look out of place.
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