Who could have predicted this, except for every single person who pays close attention to Manchester United transfer business. A team with a player that Man United want to buy set their price, and then raised it. United then said they were no longer interested, at said price, and thus, dropping their pursuit. Such is the case with Brentford FC striker Bryan Mbeumo.
Yesterday the news cycle, surrounding this ultra tedious transfer saga, was that Brentford increased the Mbeumo asking price to £70 million.
And that United would simply not pay it. After all, they already had bids for £55m and £65m knocked back. The latter of which was reportedly, at the time, enough to get it over the line.
And today, here we are- MUFC are indeed willing to pay the asking price.
According to ESPN FC, United’s new bid is “worth £65 million ($87m) with another £5 million ($7m) in add-ons. Brentford are yet to inform United whether it will be accepted.”
So we’ll see if this transfer saga, which has become as protracted as possible, gets even more ridiculously elongated. Maybe, at the end of the day, Mbeumo ends up a member of United.
This type of thing has happened so many times before: Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount, Jadon Sancho, Antony.
The list goes on and on. Many of the times, this whole routine even includes the “I’m walking away from this deal” bit. Before United end up paying what the other team had demanded all along.
Been there, done that.
Still, getting Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, is a great transfer window.
You will have added a stellar right-sided and left-sided No. 10. Of course, they badly need a whole lot more than that, but that is a topic for another time and space.
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