Man Utd's Mbeumo plan scuppered by Brentford's transfer demand in latest twist

Manchester United have already seen a bid for Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo knocked back and the west Londoners have made it clear that any transfer fee needs to be paid up front - not in instalments

Manchester United remain in the hunt for Bryan Mbeumo but Brentford's transfer demands could complicate matters - with Tottenham waiting in the wings. The north Londoners have joined the race after hiring Thomas Frank.

Mbeumo has just enjoyed his best season to date, scoring 20 times for the Bees, and that has seen interest in him mount. United are in the market for more firepower this summer but saw their opening offer worth £45million plus £10m in add-ons at the start of June rejected.

United are preparing a fresh offer for the Cameroon star but Brentford have made it clear that they want the bulk of Mbeumo's fee to be paid up front, reports the Evening Standard. They do not want to sanction his exit based on a number of instalments over several years.

That could hamper the plans at Old Trafford with the Red Devils hoping to pay for Mbeumo gradually if they were successful with a bid. Brentford want a fee similar to the one the £62.5m that saw Matheus Cunha join United from Wolves only weeks ago.

Even those negotiations caused problems for the Manchester outfit, who must remain compliant with financial rules. They wanted to pay for Cunha over five years before eventually meeting Wolves' terms of three instalments over two seasons.

It all opens the door for Tottenham who beat United in the Europa League final last month and can now offer Champions League football, as they look for a new winger. Mbeumo has been identified as a target as is remains open to joining Tottenham, although a switch to Manchester is thought to be his preference. Tottenham have also lined up Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo as a possible target.

Brentford are more than happy for a bidding war to commence as they look to maximise their profit on a player they signed as an unknown quantity back when they were in the Championship.

Frank was the man who brought Mbeumo to England as a teenager in 2019 and the pair enjoy a close relationship having been part of the journey that took Brentford from the Championship to the Premier League before consolidating them as a top flight side across the following four seasons.

United boss Ruben Amorim wants to address several areas of his squad this summer but Cunha is the only man to arrive through the door. Liam Delap was a target but the striker opted to move to Chelsea instead. The Red Devils could yet pursue Viktor Gyokeres, who worked under Amorim at Sporting Lisbon.