Manchester United have finally confirmed the signing of Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford for £71million – beating Arsenal, Tottenham, Newcastle and Chelsea to land him.
United had failed with two previous bids for Mbeumo but got their man with their third offer of £65m plus £6m in performance-related add-ons - some eight weeks after initially making their move.
Brentford are understood to have put pressure on Mbeumo to join Tottenham or Newcastle and it emerged Chelsea made a late but unsuccessful bid to hijack United's bid for him. But the 25-year-old forward was only ever interested in joining United and told Brentford he would not entertain a move anywhere else.
Brentford also wanted a fee of £70m plus £7m in add-ons, but United managed to negotiate down the final fee, with the add-ons relating to a mixture of team and individual achievements.
It has also emerged Brentford put pressure on Mbeumo to reduce his wage demands, to increase the size of the fee they would receive for him, but the player resisted those attempts.
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Mbeumo will fly with the rest of the United squad today for their pre-season tour of the US and will make his debut on Saturday against West Ham in New Jersey's MetLife Stadium.
The Cameroon international has signed a contract until June 2030, with the option of an extra year and will earn £200,000-a-week.
Mbeumo, who scored 20 Premier League goals last season and produced eight assists, said: “As soon as I knew there was a chance to join Manchester United, I had to take the opportunity to sign for the club of my dreams - the team whose shirt I wore growing up.
“My mentality is to always be better than I was yesterday. I know that I have the spirit and character to reach another level here, learning from Ruben Amorim and playing alongside world-class players.
“Everybody told me about the environment that is being created here and how exciting the plans are for the future. This is a massive club, with an incredible stadium and amazing fans, we are all really determined to challenge for the biggest trophies.”
Jason Wilcox, United's Director of Football, said: “Bryan’s goals and assists record in the Premier League is exceptional, his remarkable consistency has put him amongst the most productive players in England for the last three seasons.
“Bryan’s belief in our project and determination to join the club confirmed that he was the perfect fit for Manchester United and the culture that we are developing.
“We are delighted to have secured another one of our primary targets ahead of the pre-season tour. The experience in the US will be the perfect opportunity for Bryan to work with Ruben and his new team-mates as we prepare for an exciting season ahead.”
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