Bryan Mbeumo deal was rescued by Brentford chief after talks broke down

Manchester United should take hope from Brentford's exhaustive pursuit of Bryan Mbeumo as they look to get a deal for the striker over the line. The Cameroon star still tops United's target list as head coach Ruben Amorim looks to pep up his strikeforce, having already landed Matheus Cunha from Wolves this summer.

Despite having bids knocked back, including one worth £60million, United haven't given up. Landing Mbeumo wasn't plain sailing for Brentford, with the Bees facing their own challenges as they tried to prise him from French outfit Troyes in 2019. Central to the deal was Brentford's technical director, Lee Dykes, who had just been hired by the then-Championship club. He told the Bees' website in 2023: "I felt big pressure because I walked into a function where I was trying to take forward some of the good work that had already been done.

"Coming into Brentford, I'd never really spent a lot of money. I'd always worked at League One and League Two level. The most I'd spent was £50,000 on a player, and then six weeks later we are paying €5million for Bryan Mbeumo. So obviously you start to think, 'Wow, this is big money.' But, at the end of the day, it's just different money, same process."

The challenging negotiations saw Dykes team up with co-director of football Rasmus Ankersen and head coach Thomas Frank for a swift trip to France, although their initial discussions didn't bear fruit.

Dykes recalled: "We were figuring that there was a possibility to sign Bryan. We had cleverly sourced that information, having been told that he wouldn't entertain the Championship.

"It became quickly apparent that we had to get in and out of France in a day as Thomas had his training commitments because it was near to the season starting. Where the meeting was going to take place, there was no airport close enough we could find from London or a route to do in one day, so we didn't know if we could make it work.

"I remember Rasmus just calling me up saying, 'I spoke to Matthew (Benham, club owner) and he said he'll fire up a jet and we'll get over there' - at that point, I was just thinking, 'Wow!'

"But that's when I started to feel the pressure. I'd lined it all up with Troyes, as well as the agents that were involved, so me, Thomas and Rasmus got on this jet.

"We got there, it was one of the hottest days of the year, it had reached about 43°C when we landed. It was a 60-minute journey and the air conditioning wasn't working in the taxi we got in."

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Despite their efforts, the talks did not go as planned. To compound a tough trip, the party then endured a fraught journey home. Dykes continued: "We had the meeting, spoke with the player, the club and the agent, but the deal broke down.

"So, I had convinced everyone to fly over to France to get this deal done - I thought it was going to get done - but it had broken down.

"On the way back, and I'm not a good flyer in general, the pilot turned to us and said, 'It's chaotic weather in London, it's snowing, there's thunder, there's lightning.' I was thinking, 'What? It was 43 degrees when we left France.'

"And the journey back was horrendous, I could see the pilot avoiding the dark spots on the radar. I was bricking it!

"But, fortunately, we landed safely and, more importantly, managed to turn around the deal a few days later and eventually sign him. So, Brentford fans must know that I risked my life to sign Bryan Mbeumo!"