Bryan Mbeumo sends heartfelt message to Rico Henry as Man United move stalls
Bryan Mbeumo has sent a heartfelt message to Brentford teammate Rico Henry after news of his move to Manchester United being put on hold recently emerged.
Mbeumo’s standout form saw him register 20 goals and eight assists in 38 Premier League appearances last season for Brentford.
His impressive performances have fuelled rumours around his potential Bees exit this summer, with Football Insider revealing in May that Arsenal, Newcastle and United were all keen to sign Mbeumo, while Spurs have also been mooted with interest in the Brentford star after Thomas Frank’s move to North London.
Former United chief scout Mick Brown recently told Football Insider that Mbeumo is pushing to move to Old Trafford and has made his desire to leave Brentford known, and he revealed to Football Insider on 1 July that Man United are close to reaching an agreement with the Bees to sign Mbeumo.
Football Insider revealed on Sunday (13 July), however, that Brentford will only allow one of Mbeumo or Wissa to leave this summer, and the Cameroon international’s move to United has now stalled after Keith Andrews’ side raised their valuation to closer to £70m [The Guardian].
Mbeumo responds to Rico Henry online
Mbeumo recently interacted with Leny Yoro on social media, heightening talk of a potential move to Old Trafford, but new reports have quashed an imminent move with Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly intent on not being pushed into paying more than his club’s £65m valuation.
The 25-year-old is back in training with Brentford for now, and Bees teammate Rico Henry has also returned to pre-season after he missed a large chunk of last term with a serious knee injury.
Henry took to Instagram on Wednesday (16 July) to share some photos of him in the off-season, to which Mbeumo responded with a comment saying: “Nice Biscuito” with a red heart emoji.
United should cough up £60m for Mbeumo
Football Insider verdict
Mbeumo looked set to be on his way to Old Trafford soon, but now that Brentford have raised their valuation after rejecting two United bids, his move has been plunged into doubt.
The pacey forward has built a reputation as one of the Premier League’s most prolific scorers over the last few years, even though he had never played in the top-flight prior to the Bees’ promotion from the Championship in 2021.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 242 | 70 | 51 |
He netted nine goals in both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons, and recently enjoyed his best term yet with standout contributions which placed him third in the Premier League charts for combined goals and assists in 2024/25.
It is clear that he is a player coming into his prime, and the link-up that him and recent United signing Matheus Cunha could provide would surely serve as one of the deadliest front lines in the whole league, so it is imperative that United get a deal done for the 25-year-old as soon as possible.
Red Devils co-owner Ratcliffe does not wish to be held to ransom over a move for Mbeumo, but he has already been willing to pay £65m, so simply needs to swallow his pride and pay up the £70m, because this is a transfer that could drastically change their fortunes next term.