Often times, the summer transfer window is not a true spectator sport. This can be especially true when it involves Manchester United. As was widely reported 17 days ago, Manchester United, having seen their first bid for Brentford FC striker Bryan Mbeumo rejected, were set to bid again.
And of course, the second bid would be bigger and better.
The first bid was worth £55m (£45m + £10m in add-ons), but Brentford rejected it. According to multiple outlets, the Bees are receiving a bid of £60m this time from Old Trafford.
Will that be enough this time?
Well, according to the sources at the BBC, “Brentford would want at least the same fee as Wolves have received for Cunha before they agree to the sale of a player who still has a year left on his contract.”
Yes, Matheus Cunha, so far the only major piece of transfer business that United have done this summer. Also a striker, he moved over from Wolverhampton Wanderers for of £62.5m.
So the two sides are just about there, almost! Hopefully, a concession is made somewhere between the two parties, and we can get this deal over the line soon.
Because again, transfer sagas are not always the most entertaining, made for TV kind of things.
Overall, maybe the more important side of things for United, this transfer window, will be on the sales side. They really need to move on Jadon Sancho, Antony, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho.
And they can hopefully get more of those deals done before training camp, for the 2025-26 season, begins on July 7.
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