A major shakeup is going to happen in the attacking position group this summer at Manchester United. Matheus Cunha was just announced a couple hours ago as the latest addition. Bryan Mbeumo may soon follow. Meanwhile Alejandro Garnacho is a confirmed departure. Let’s get you up to speed on both of these forwards in our latest edition of Manchester United Transfer Talk.
We start with Mbeumo, because, hey, we know that’s what you really came he for. United submitted a bid to Brentford FC for the striker, but it was rejected.
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Then came reports United submitted a second and improved bid for Mbeumo. According to CBS Sports Ben Jacobs (h/t Football 365), this is actually not the case.
Jacobs said to The United Stand podcast: “There hasn’t been a formal second bid placed yet. But what is happening, is there are conversations around a new number, much closer to the Matheus Cunha valuation.
“And when Manchester United feel that not just that number, but the structure is competitive based on their feedback from Brentford – and all of those discussions are ongoing at the moment – the expectation, and quite imminently, is they will then put that formal second bid in with a higher percentage chance.
“Hopefully from Manchester United’s point of view, that will be accepted.”
So we’ll see what happens there. Moving on to Garnacho, Napoli saw their £40 million bid for the Argentine winger turned down in the January transfer window. While they remain interested, the Manchester Evening News reports that the Italian side will not overpay for him. They will not get fleeced in any potential deal.
The M.E.N. report says that United believe “a fair market value for him would be somewhere between £50m and £60m.”
Several more clubs are thought to be interested, so United should be able to ge their price met. Then again, Garnacho is a winger, and United manager Ruben Amorim doesn’t utilize wingers in his system.
So clubs know that Old Trafford has to sell, which may end up cutting the price a bit. Aston Villa is among the teams interested, and Villa News has more, over at this link.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter