Man United Pursue Aston Villa ‘Best Player’ As Mbeumo Opts To Stay At Brentford

Manchester United remain active in the transfer market, shifting focus to Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins as Bryan Mbeumo stays put.

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United had initially targeted Brentford’s Mbeumo after his standout season with 20 goals and 8 assists in the Premier League.

The club submitted two bids (£45m plus £10m in add-ons), followed by £55m plus £7.5m in which Brentford rejected outright.

Brentford director Phil Giles says Mbeumo is “happy to stay,” even though the player has reportedly expressed interest in a move.

New head coach Keith Andrews reinforced Mbeumo’s importance, emphasizing his talent and contribution to set pieces throughout last season.

Despite this, Manchester United aren’t backing down and are reportedly in contact with Aston Villa over forward Ollie Watkins.

The Red Devils view Watkins as a potential option if Rasmus Højlund departs amid interest from Italian clubs.

Previous talks between Villa and United regarding Marcus Rashford reportedly included the idea of Watkins moving in the opposite direction.

Villa are said to value Watkins at £60m, a fee Arsenal balked at earlier in the year during failed negotiations, reports Football 365.

United must now weigh Watkins’ proven quality against limited resale value, as they seek to strengthen Amorim’s forward options.