Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is making some big decisions in training at Carrington before his side head off on a pre-season tour of the United States
Manchester United are hoping to have completed the signing of Bryan Mbeumo before they head off to the United States on their pre-season tour. United submitted a third bid for the Brentford forward on Thursday and are confident of concluding the prolonged negotiations in the coming days.
There is now a £70million bid on the table for Brentford, made up of £65m plus £5m in add-ons. United consider it a take-it-or-leave-it offer that they have made after growing frustrated with the Bees’ hard ball negotiating tactics.
The main reason behind the sudden escalation in bidding is that United want Mbeumo to be a part of their pre-season tour to the US. Ruben Amorim and his players will jet over the Atlantic on Tuesday, after playing Leeds in Stockholm on Saturday in their first pre-season friendly.
Matheus Cunha is the only summer signing currently being integrated into the squad during training sessions at Carrington, having completed his £62.5m move from Wolves early in the window. Diego Leon, an 18-year-old Paraguayan left-back, is another new arrival, although his deal went through in January.
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Leon is among one of the players hoping to catch Amorim’s eye ahead of the trip to the US, where matches against West Ham, Bournemouth and Everton await. The Athletic reports that a decision is yet to be made over Leon’s status in the squad, or whether he will drop down to the under-21s, given there is competition at left-back from Patrick Dorgu, Luke Shaw and Harry Amass.
Meanwhile, there are four other young players in the same position as Leon. United academy graduates Bendito Mantato, Shea Lacey, Sekou Kone and Elyh Harrison have all been training with the first team at Carrington recently and are hoping to earn a place on the plane to the US.
Harrison, a 19-year-old goalkeeper, has a good chance with Andre Onana still on the comeback from an injury. The others are currently in limbo, with club staff in talks with the representatives of various academy players over possible loan moves for the 2025/26 season.
Amorim is still yet to decide who he wants to keep and who would be better served by leaving for game time. It is understood that Dan Gore, Ethan Wheatley, Tyler Fredricson and Toby Collyer could all leave in the coming weeks, either on loan or permanently, with United keen to clear the pathway from academy to first team.
United begin their pre-season against Leeds in Stockholm on Saturday before the squad travels to the USA, where they will take part in the Premier League Summer Series. They will face West Ham in New Jersey on July 27, before games against Bournemouth and Everton in Chicago and Atlanta.
United will then play Fiorentina at Old Trafford in their final pre-season game on August 9, before starting their Premier League campaign against Arsenal on August 17.
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