Mbeumo deal broke down after talks as Brentford chief opened up on MU target

As Manchester United continue their pursuit of Bryan Mbeumo, here's the story of how Brentford got a transfer for the Cameroon international over the line in 2019

It’s not easy getting a deal for Bryan Mbeumo over the line - just ask Brentford technical director Lee Dykes. The Cameroon star remains at the top of Manchester United’s wish-list as Ruben Amorim strives to pep up his forward line following a dire season at Old Trafford.

United have seen several bids, including a £60million offer, rejected but remain hopeful of getting their man, having already snared Matheus Cunha from Wolves. Brentford signed Mbeumo from French side Troyes in 2019, although their pursuit of the striker was far from straightforward. It was a big moment for Dykes, who had recently joined from EFL side Bury.

“I felt big pressure because I walked into a function where I was trying to take forward some of the good work that had already been done,” he told the Bees’ website in December 2023.

“Coming into Brentford, I’d never really spent a lot of money. I’d always worked at League One and League Two level.

“The most I’d spent was £50,000 on a player, and then six weeks later we are paying €5million for Bryan Mbeumo. So obviously you start to think, ‘Wow, this is big money.’ But, at the end of the day, it’s just different money, same process.”

Dykes, co-director of football Rasmus Ankersen and head coach Thomas Frank made a whistlestop trip to France in an effort to complete a deal Mbeumo, only for those initial talks to come to nothing.

“We were figuring that there was a possibility to sign Bryan,” said Dykes. “We had cleverly sourced that information, having been told that he wouldn’t entertain the Championship.

“It became quickly apparent that we had to get in and out of France in a day as Thomas (Frank) had his training commitments because it was near to the season starting.

“Where the meeting was going to take place, there was no airport close enough we could find from London or a route to do in one day, so we didn’t know if we could make it work.

“I remember Rasmus just calling me up saying, ‘I spoke to Matthew (Benham, club owner) and he said he’ll fire up a jet and we’ll get over there’ - at that point, I was just thinking, ‘Wow!’

“But that’s when I started to feel the pressure. I’d lined it all up with Troyes, as well as the agents that were involved, so me, Thomas and Rasmus got on this jet.

“We got there, it was one of the hottest days of the year, it had reached about 43°C when we landed. It was a 60-minute journey and the air conditioning wasn’t working in the taxi we got in!

“We had the meeting, spoke with the player, the club and the agent, but the deal broke down. So, I had convinced everyone to fly over to France to get this deal done - I thought it was going to get done - but it had broken down.”

A bad day then got even worse for Dykes before a deal for Mbeumo was eventually revived. He added: “On the way back, and I’m not a good flier in general, the pilot turned to us and said, ‘It’s chaotic weather in London, it’s snowing, there’s thunder, there’s lightning.’ I was thinking, ‘What? It was 43 degrees when we left France.’

“And the journey back was horrendous - I could see the pilot avoiding the dark spots on the radar. I was bricking it!

“But, fortunately, we landed safely and, more importantly, managed to turn around the deal a few days later and eventually sign him. So, Brentford fans must know that I risked my life to sign Bryan Mbeumo!”