The Bryan Mbeumo delay has become a frustrating and tiring story for Manchester United fans to follow, but the team now have no excuse.
United have launched multiple unsuccessful bids for Mbeumo, with various reports indicating Brentford want a transfer fee in the region of £65 million. In late June, Sami Mokbel of BBC Sport reported that the Bees had rejected a bid from United worth up to £62.5 million.
Former United player Anthony Elanga may help them.
When United sold Elanga to Nottingham Forest, they negotiated a sell-on clause. Per Mark Critchley and Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic, Forest are expected to sell Elanga to Newcastle for an initial £52 million, with United receiving around £5 million.
That's a bonus £5 million that could help make a stronger offer to Brentford.
Man United should use bonus £5 million from Anthony Elanga sale to make final push for Bryan Mbeumo
There's no excuse. United desperately need reinforcements, and Mbeumo would be a game-changing signing. They have come close to meeting Brentford's demands, and there's no reason not to push the deal over the finish line.
To receive around £5 million from another team's transfer is a bonus. United still haven't moved on from Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho, or Alejandro Garnacho, who could all bring in transfer funds to reinvest. At the very least, loaning them out would help United financially by getting some (hopefully all) of their wages off the books.
Mbeumo is clearly United's priority, but the transfer negotiations have dragged on for too long.
While United's rivals keep strengthening, it feels like they've been stuck, with fans becoming more impatient by the day as the team slowly inches toward making it happen.
Elanga to Newcastle would give United some extra transfer funds, and that money could help finally make a deal with Brentford.