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Mbeumo Plan B? Man Utd eye CONTROVERSIAL €25m move for league winner
Tom Weber
- Updated: 23 Jun 2025 17:51 BST
- 5 min read
News
Manchester United are among the clubs interested in Krasnodar captain Eduard Spertsyan, according to a report.
The Red Devils are in the market for creative attackers and have identified Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo as their top priority after already snapping up Matheus Cunha for €74 million.
Despite Mbeumo immediately making it clear that he is keen on the move to Old Trafford, talks between Man Utd and Brentford have slowed down after the Bees rejected an opening bid for the Cameroon international.
Current ETV
Eduard Spertsyan
M (C)
Krasnodar
Eduard Spertsyan
M (C)
Krasnodar
ETV Range
€17.1M - €21M
Although Man Utd are set to return with an improved offer, they are now facing credible competition from Tottenham, who recently appointed Mbeumo's mentor, Thomas Frank, as their new head coach.
As revealed last week, the Transfers Podcast understands that Spurs have a 'good chance' of beating the Red Devils to the signing of Mbeumo despite the player's preference for Man Utd.
Man Utd eye Spertsyan
Man Utd are therefore looking for potential alternatives, and Italian outlet L’Eco di Bergamo claims that the Old Trafford club are among the suitors of Krasnodar captain Eduard Spertsyan after he helped the Russian side win their first-ever league title last month.
Atalanta, Ajax, PSG and, intriguingly, Brentford are also interested in the €25 million-rated attacking midfielder, who was being eyed by Leeds in January. The 25-year-old is coming off a hugely successful season in which he notched 11 goals and seven assists.
However, a move to Man Utd or, indeed, Brentford would be quite controversial considering the ongoing tension between the UK and Russia following the latter's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Although he represents Armenia at the international level, Spertsyan was born in Stavropol, Russia, which could make securing a visa difficult. Arsen Zakharyan, a Russian national of Armenian descent, was denied entry into the UK when Real Sociedad faced Man Utd in the bygone season.
Moreover, Man Utd would have to do business with Krasnodar. Due to ongoing sanctions and all the strings attached, this, too, would be problematic as clubs are prohibited from transferring funds to Russia.
For example, the Court of Arbitration for Sport recently ruled that West Ham won't have to pay CSKA Moscow the money they still owe for Nikola Vlasic as long as the UK sanctions regime is in place.
Krasnodar's president Sergey Galitsky has been accused of having close ties to Vladimir Putin, although his company, Magnit, one of Russia's largest retailers, has been attractive to outside investors due to remaining nominally apolitical.
In April, Magnit acquired a controlling stake in supermarket chain Azbuka Vkusa, whose shareholders previously included none other than Roman Abramovich.
In summer 2023, Ajax reportedly had a deal in place to sign Spertsyan, but ultimately opted against signing him. It is disputed whether this was due to the backlash the club received or whether they simply had second thoughts about the touted €15m outlay on him.
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