Manchester United 'join' race for £40m Arsenal and Newcastle transfer target

Manchester United have reportedly joined the race to sign Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo, who would fit into Ruben Amorim’s long-term plans at the club.

Mbeumo has been linked with a move to Arsenal in recent days, after having an impressive first half of the season for the Bees. The Cameroon international has scored 13 goals and provided three assists in the Premier League, making him the joint-third top scorer at the club. The winger is reportedly on Arsenal’s shortlist and could emerge as one of their top targets during the summer transfer window, should they still be keen to sign a winger.

However, according to The Daily Star, the Gunners now face competition to sign the 25-year-old, as United are plotting a move for the Brentford man in the summer. The report suggests that the Red Devils would consider placing a bid of £40m to try and sign the attacker, who signed for Brentford in 2019 from French side Troyes, for a fee of £5.8m.

Amorim’s side are in desperate need of more goals, as so far this season, they have scored 23 goals in 20 games, making them the fifth-lowest-scoring side in the Premier League.

Brentford manager laughs off January interest from Arsenal and United

Brentford manager Thomas Frank has made it clear that Mbeumo isn’t for sale in the January transfer window, as his side sit 11th in the league table, nine points off the Champions League places. Speaking to Sky Sports at the start of the month, Frank was asked about the possibility of clubs making a January move for Mbeumo. He said: “In January? I would say good luck. We love Bryan, he loves playing here, he’s had a fantastic season. So, nothing will happen.”

He is under contract at the Gtech Community Stadium until the end of next season, however, Brentford do have an option in his contract to extend his deal at the club by one more year, should they wish to keep hold of Mbeumo.

Arsenal aim to find Bukayo Saka replacement in January window

With a January transfer for Mbeumo looking almost impossible, Arsenal may need to look for other targets as they aim to replace the injured Bukayo Saka during the January window.

Saka suffered a hamstring injury during the Gunners’ 5-1 win against Crystal Palace before Christmas. He is set to be sidelined for an extended period. Arteta said after the Palace game: “He had a procedure. Everything went well. But unfortunately, he will be out for many, many weeks. I think it will be more than two months. I don't know exactly how much longer.”

With that in mind, the Gunners are likely to try and address the wing position this month. They have been linked with Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, who has a £48m release clause in his contract. Arsenal could trigger the clause and sign him immediately, however the Spaniard’s wage could be too much for the Gunners to take on.

They have also been linked with a move for West Ham forward Mohammed Kudus, however, he has a reported £85m release clause, which may not be a fee that the Gunners are prepared to pay given they are also in need of a striker.