Manchester City and Arsenal to battle Liverpool for Premier League forward - Reports
The top three teams in the Premier League last season - Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool - are reportedly interested in signing Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo. The Cameroon international, who has had an impressive start to the season, has just two years remaining on his current deal.
Following the sale of Ivan Toney to Al Ahli for a reported fee of £40 million, the Bees were understandably reluctant to part with their star forward this season, who has been with the club since 2019.
A report from HITC claimed that both Manchester City and Liverpool are in the race for Mbeumo’s signature, with Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Newcastle United also expressing interest in the forward.
Brentford may well sell Mbeumo next season, and although they are attempting to extend his contract, the France-born player is in no rush to sign. If offers from top clubs come in, HITC report that the Bees will demand a £50 million fee for the forward.
Manchester City have been looking for a replacement for Julian Alvarez. Their interest in Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi didn’t materialize, so they could return to the market for a forward next campaign.
Liverpool, meanwhile, secured Federico Chiesa late in the transfer window, but with Mohamed Salah’s future uncertain, they could target Mbeumo as a potential replacement for the Egyptian should he leave.
While Arsenal brought in Raheem Sterling on loan on deadline day, they too are in search of a versatile forward who can play both out wide and as a central striker.
Ex-Liverpool striker named Bryan Mbeumo as his favorite Premier League player
Former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker Stan Collymore was already a huge fan of Bryan Mbeumo last season, revealing that the France-born forward was his favorite player in the league.
Mbeumo was Brentford’s standout performer in Ivan Toney’s absence, as he played a crucial role. Although Brentford finished 16th in the league, the 26-year-old impressed with nine goals and six assists. Overall, he has scored 53 goals and provided 39 assists in 203 appearances for the Bees.
Speaking to CaughtOffside last year, Collymore said:
"Bryan Mbeumo – I love him! It may surprise some of you but Mbeumo is my favourite player in the Premier League. I think he’s quality.
"Whenever I watch him, he gets the ball close to his feet, he’s very direct, he makes excellent runs in the channels, he can drop deep, he holds the ball up really well, he is very supportive of his striking partner, he gets in the box and poaches goals, he’s physically strong." (via tbrfootball)
Mbeumo has also started this season in excellent form, already netting three goals in as many games. His partnership with Yoane Wissa has been particularly impressive, and he is certainly a player that top clubs are closely monitoring.