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DONE DEALS
- 42 minutes ago
Wake up, INEOS! Man Utd must move on from Mbeumo
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 4 Jul 2025 11:34 BST
- 14 min read
Analysis
It’s time for Manchester United to give up on Bryan Mbeumo.
Brentford have made their position on the forward clear. Their asking price of £70 million (€82m) won’t be met by the Red Devils, and neither it should. Mbeumo, after all, only has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €58m.
It’s not an admission of defeat: it’s a smart transfer policy. It’s a decision you feel that any other club would have made long ago.
Current ETV
Bryan Mbeumo
F (CR), M (R)
Brentford
Bryan Mbeumo
F (CR), M (R)
Brentford
ETV Range
€52.3M - €63.9M
United promised they would not pay over the odds for players, yet here we are after weeks of negotiations with the Old Trafford side wasting valuable rebuild time trying to thrash out a seemingly impossible deal.
Time is of the essence to rebuild Ruben Amorim’s beleaguered team, yet it is being frittered away by a board seemingly obsessing over one player. This is not how a functional football club works.
INEOS may be running the show now, but it’s the same old story when it comes to the transfer market.
Madueke an obvious alternative
There are other options out there. Mbeumo does not fall into the unicorn category of footballers like a Lionel Messi or a Cristiano Ronaldo.
And there is one obvious player who is on the market who can fill the same role as the Brentford man: Chelsea star Noni Madueke.
The winger has had his head turned by an approach from Arsenal, yet Man Utd should feel bullish enough about their project to offer the 23-year-old a role at Old Trafford.
Current ETV
Noni Madueke
M, AM (R)
Chelsea
Noni Madueke
M, AM (R)
Chelsea
ETV Range
€46.3M - €56.6M
There may be no European football yet, but Amorim’s side can offer him the type of regular first-team football he craves, as well as the opportunity to develop his game further.
According to data analytics company SciSports, Madueke is a player of very similar style to Mbeumo. He also possesses similar key strengths, including offensive positioning, passing and dribbling.
He is not of the same quality yet, but he has a potential ceiling higher than the former Troyes player.
Bryan Mbeumo vs Noni Madueke: Playing style and development
Bryan Mbeumo
2024/2025 | Premier League (ENG)
Right wing (2941 Minutes played)
Noni Madueke
2024/2025 | Premier League (ENG)
Right wing (1692 Minutes played)
Skill
Potential
- Bryan Mbeumo
- Noni Madueke
Fabrizio Romano indicated on Thursday that Madueke has not shut the door on leaving Chelsea.
“Just to give you my feeling, when people close to the player continue to meet the club, it means that the player could be open to a potential move,” Romano said.
He may have been specifically referencing Arsenal, but it does show that the winger is not entirely happy.
Who else could Man Utd sign?
Mbeumo is operating at a high level, which means that there are not rafts of players out there who could replace him perfectly.
There are several strong options, though. These include another former Chelsea player in the form of Christian Pulisic, who is operating at a virtually identical level to Mbeumo, according to SciSports.
Similarly, Yeremy Pino of Villarreal is another with terrific potential, although he is fighting back after serious injury. Nevertheless, he is close to Mbeumo’s current level and, aged just 22, has huge ability that can be unlocked.
If Amorim and United are willing to ease their requirements, forgoing Mbeumo’s trio of superpowers (positioning, dribbling and passing), several other possibilities open up.
Real Madrid’s Rodrygo is the most striking of these, though the Brazil international is likely out of reach given United’s current situation. His team-mate at the Bernabeu, Brahim Diaz, could be a more viable target, especially after working with Manchester City in the past.
And how about Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh as a player to work on for the future?
Ultimately, United have two options: accept that they will be ripped off over Mbeumo or back out now and do a deal elsewhere when there’s still time to get fair value elsewhere. This transfer window is not about one man.
Football transfer news headlines today
OFFICIAL: Chelsea sign record-breaking forward
OFFICIAL: Nico Williams signs 10-year contract to leave Barcelona stunned
DONE DEALS: Every official completed transfer
New Arsenal arrival announced by David Ornstein: Arteta hints at radical change
Fabrizio Romano transfer news: Madueke VERDICT, Man Utd CALLS, Nico Williams LATEST
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