Bryan Mbeumo has drawn plenty of admirers this season after a standout campaign for Brentford, and those suitors have potentially been handed a massive boost ahead of the transfer market.
The Bees star has managed an impressive 18 goals and seven assists for the west London outfit in the league this season, and along with Yoane Wissa has formed a formidable partnership.
With Ivan Toney departing for the Saudi Pro League in summer 2024, he has admirably stepped up to fill the void, and has become one of the league’s most lethal forwards.
As such, he has earned himself plenty of admiring glances from around the Premier League, with Man United thought to be among those interested.
According to a report from earlier in May, Mbeumo will cost around £60million if anyone is to prise him away from the Gtech Community Stadium this summer, though captain Christian Norgaard believes that is more likely to come about than not.
‘I’m pretty calm about what will happen about Bryan and Wissa. A lot of questions are asked about them. You can almost feel the worries about the place when you talk about them maybe leaving us,’ the Danish midfielder said.
Brentford captain Christian Norgaard has claimed he expects Bryan Mbeumo to leave this year
The Cameroon international forward has 18 goals and seven assists in the league this season
‘The club has already now brought in [Igor] Thiago who hasn’t played a lot but another fantastic character and he will take the league by storm at some point. I’m sure he’ll be ready for whenever Wissa gets his dream move or if Bryan leaves then there will be a change in the offensive players.’
He added: ‘I think Bryan [Mbeumo] is likely to go. I don’t know about Wissa yet. Everyone still hopes he might stay. Either way I’m happy for the season they’ve had, both of them, because they deserve it so much.’
While Mbeumo has been leading the way, Democratic Republic of Congo international Wissa is not far behind with 18 goals of his own and four more assists for the 2024-25 Premier League campaign.
Perhaps crucially, both players are out of contract next summer, and so this window could prove vital if the club are to receive healthy sums for their two brightest talents.
Brentford have maintained a sustainable business model in developing players and selling them on for bigger fees, with a strong track record in recent history.
Toney was sold for £40m to Al Ahli after arriving for around £10m including add-ons, Ollie Watkins’ £33m move to Aston Villa banked a profit of £31m, and selling Said Benrahma to West Ham for £30m made Brentford around £27m.
Combined, Mbeumo (£5.8m) and Wissa (£8.5m) cost the Bees less than £15m in transfer fees.
Should Wissa be sold for half the reported £60m Mbeumo will command, then the west London side will have made over six times their money.
Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United have been linked with a move for Brentford star Mbeumo
Brentford have recovered from selling stars like Said Benrahma (left)and Ollie Watkins (right)
As such Norgaard feels the club are well placed to bounce back should they suffer a double blow.
‘The club is so talented with recruiting and always being two or three steps ahead,’ he continued.
‘I think Brentford has been really good at keeping them for more than one season. If you look at Ollie [Watkins] he was here for quite long, Said [Benrahma] was here for at least three seasons, Ivan was here for three seasons, it’s not like they have one season and then go away.
‘Bryan has been here for six years, Wissa when we got promoted so four years. That’s important that it’s not just in and out.
‘You come here and get integrated and become a part of what we’re doing, but then you get your fully-deserved move, but it’s not straight away.’
