The Bryan Mbeumo sale is on! And we mean it this time! According to multiple reports, Manchester United and Brentford FC have finally reached an agreement on the transfer of the 25-year-old striker. He will now undergo his medical this weekend, and then, once everything is finalized, be officially announced sometime early next week.
According to The Athletic/New York Times, the deal is worth, potentially “up to £71million ($95.5m) has finally been struck. It comprises an initial £65m, to be paid in four instalments, plus a maximum of £6m in bonuses.”
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It is finally here we go time, and end to end, this transfer saga took about 7-8 weeks, depending on where you define the starting point.
As the Daily Mail pointed out: “Having failed with two bids totaling £55m and £62.5m last month, United made a third attempt on Thursday when they raised their offer to £70m. The final agreement includes an extra £1m in add-ons.”
However, it is important to note that we saw conflicting reports, a little over three weeks ago, when it pertains to the second bid.
There was word that United and Brentford had reached an agreement, at either £65 million, and thus “here we go time” was back in late June.
And then, this narrative goes, Brentford changed their minds. I guess no one really knows for sure here, and it depends on who you talk to. We also saw reports that Sir Jim Ratcliffe wasn’t willing to pay the current price, which United will actually now pay, for Bryan Mbeumo.
So much for that. However, this is just what happens when a transfer saga gets overly protracted- every single twist and turn receives a ton of coverage and over analysis.
Another factor here was the Tottenham Hotspur interest, with the potential of an Bryan Mbeumo reunion with former manager Thomas Frank.
That added more tedium to an already tedious transfer situation. But as it stands, United now have two major signings this summer transfer window, both at the striker position. So that means
1.) they will have spent more than £140m on Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha and
2.) Rasmus Hojund and Joshua Zirkzee will spend more time on the bench (which is probably a good thing).
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