Manchester United have returned with a third bid for Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo as they look to put an end to the prolonged transfer saga.
The Cameroon international has been a key target for the Red Devils this summer and they have already seen two bids turned down by the Bees.
That has not put Manchester United off, though, with the Athletic reporting that a third offer worth an initial £65m plus £5m in add-ons.
It is yet to be seen whether that is enough for the Bees, but it was believed that they were waiting for Manchester United to offer more than the £62.5m they paid Wolves for Matheus Cunha earlier this summer.
Clearly they have now done that, with the ball now firmly in Brentford’s court.
Get personalised updates on Manchester United every day
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you.
Mbeumo has made it clear that he wants to move to Old Trafford and personal terms are no issue.
There was interest in the 25-year-old from Tottenham and Newcastle, but despite their nightmare campaign last time round, it is Manchester United he wants to join.
United’s first bid was some way short of Brentford’s asking price, worth an initial £45m, plus £10m in add-ons.
They returned with another bid of £55m up front and £7.5m in add-ons, but that was also spurned.
Brentford are able to ask for such a huge figure after a brilliant season from Mbeumo which saw him score 20 Premier League goals.
Bryan Mbeumo’s Premier League record
Apps: 136
Goals: 42
Assists: 28
The Bees paid £5.8m for the forward in 2019 from Ligue 2 side Troyes when the club were in the Championship and he has gone on to score 70 goals for them.
Manchester United are looking to do plenty more business in the transfer market this summer, with a number of outgoings on the agenda.
Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Antony are all on the transfer list, with the Red Devils very keen to completely revamp their forward line.
Tyrell Malacia is also out of manager Ruben Amorim’s plans and Manchester United are open to offers for the Dutch full-back.
Cunha has already arrived and has begun training with his new teammates and Amorim will hope to have Mbeumo through the door in the near future.
Meanwhile Brentford have been looking at possible replacements for Mbeumo, should he leave, with Ipswich Town’s Omari Hutchinson on their list of targets.