Bryan Mbeumo offered chance to land dream Man Utd shirt number after £70m bid

Manchester United are closing in on the signing of Bryan Mbeumo after offering Brentford £70m for their star man, which should be enough to get the deal over the line

Bryan Mbeumo could be handed his dream shirt number of 19 if he can wrap up a move to Manchester United, with the digits currently available at Old Trafford.

United are still locked in talks with Brentford but negotiations have dragged on for more than a month as the Bees look to get as much as possible for the Cameroon international, who cost them just £5.8million in 2019.

There has been frustration over the low progress of discussions between the two clubs, but now United have submitted a third bid of £70m - hoping it can tempt Brentford into selling their star man.

Mbeumo is keen on completing the move to Old Trafford and should the move come to fruition, it seems there will be an added incentive for the 25-year-old.

He has always played in the No 19 shirt during his footballing career, having used the number for both Brentford and Cameroon on international duty.

And if he joined United, he would be able to snap up that shirt number immediately because it is currently vacant.

The last player who wore number 19 for United was defender Raphael Varane, who left the club last summer, joining Serie A side Como.

It comes after United had two bids rejected for Mbeumo, the last one being worth around £62.5m - the same amount they paid to sign Matheus Cunha from Wolves.

The Bees have been adamant that United should pay them more than they did for Cunha because Mbeumo outscored the Brazilian last season and is also the younger player.

But a deal is now likely to be agreed after United paid Brentford's asking price for the player - who has already thrashed out personal terms.

He has also told Brentford he doesn't want to join any other club despite links to Tottenham, who were interested in the forward after recruiting his former Bees boss Thomas Frank.

Mbeumo netted an impressive 20 goals in the Premier League for Brentford last season and is one of the most sought-after players in the top flight. He has scored a total of 70 goals in 242 appearances for the team since 2019, having started off in the Championship.