Reece James reacts to message from Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo amid exit whispers
Chelsea captain Reece James reacted to a message from Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo amid rumours he will depart the club this summer.
The Cameroon international has been one of the Premier League‘s standout players this season, scoring 19 times and assisting seven times.
Brentford began the season slowly, but their fine form recently has fired them into contention for European qualification.
The 25-year-old has been integral to their ascent up the table, leading to Arsenal, Man United, and Newcastle all being interested in signing Mbeumo this summer, Pete O’Rourke revealed exclusively to Football Insider.
The Cameroonian star is not the only Brentford man linked with an exit, as his boss Thomas Frank is also in contention for the Tottenham job this summer.
Bryan Mbeumo wins Brentford Goal of the Season award
At Brentford’s end-of-season awards night, Mbeumo was the recipient of the club’s Goal of the Season award for his stunning strike against Tottenham.
The Cameroon international shared three photos on Instagram, captioned: “About club awards yesterday”.
The post was then liked by Chelsea star James, showing his support for the talented right-winger.
Brentford must keep hold of Yoane Wissa this summer
For as good as Mbeumo has been, and he has been unbelievably impressive, Yoane Wissa has been right there with him.
The former Lorient striker has developed a telepathic understanding with his teammate, and the two dovetail off each other brilliantly.
But whilst Mbeumo seems destined for a big-money move this summer, the Bees’ hierarchy should be doing all they can to keep hold of the 28-year-old.
| 2024/25 Premier League stats | Wissa | Mbeumo |
| Appearances | 34 | 37 |
| Starts | 33 | 37 |
| Goals | 19 | 19 |
| Assists | 4 | 7 |
| Minutes | 2,837 | 3,325 |
Wissa has been linked with a move to Nottingham Forest, but losing his intelligent positioning and goal-scoring instincts would be a major setback for the club.
The striker is in his prime and at his most valuable, but finding a forward to replace him would be an insurmountable task and would be a major blow to Brentford’s hopes of qualifying for Europe next season.