Manchester United are interested in signing Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, a transfer that new Red Devils arrival Bryan Mbeumo would be all for having played for Brentford together
Bryan Mbeumo has given Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim his seal of approval to sign his former Brentford team-mate Ollie Watkins, describing the striker as a “complete player.”
Mbeumo finally completed his highly-anticipated transfer to United from Brentford last week in a deal worth up to £71million. The Red Devils beat Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur to the 25-year-old, who has signed a five-year contract after making it clear he always preferred the Red Devils.
The Cameroon international is yet to make his pre-season bow but is expected to feature in Sunday’s fixture against Everton in Atlanta, Georgia. And despite bolstering their attacking options with both Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha already this summer, United remain in the market for a striker.
Aston Villa’s Watkins is one major transfer target being considered. The England star has already provided the Red Devils with encouragement by reportedly being open to a switch to Old Trafford.
And Mbeumo will be very pleased with his new club’s pursuit of Watkins, having developed a strong partnership on the pitch with him during their brief spell as Brentford team-mates during the 2019/20 campaign.
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Mbeumo expressed his enthusiasm for a reunion with Watkins and voiced his admiration for the 29-year-old’s skillset. Recalling their time together at the Gtech Community Stadium, Mbeumo said: “We had Ollie, who I got to know over time. I think he’s really complete [as a player].
“He can drop with the set or go in behind and I think this is really good for me or for a winger, because you can use his space to fit in there. And he can combine as well. So I think it’s really good.
“I think it’s really important as well to have a really good relationship off the pitch with your team-mates. After, when my English got better, I could have a good chat with him.”
Mbeumo’s glowing endorsement could prove beneficial for United head coach Amorim, who is keen to bring Watkins in to spearhead his revamped forward line. The forward has risen to the top of the Red Devils’ list of targets after failed pursuits of Viktor Gyokeres, Hugo Ekitike and Liam Delap.
However, Villa’s £60m valuation of the England star currently exceeds what United are willing to spend by around £15m. That is partly due to Watkins still having three years left on his deal.
He had been a crucial player under Unai Emery, netting 44 times across all competitions during the last two campaigns. However, his future at Villa Park has been uncertain in recent months.
He was pushed down the pecking order following the arrival of United loanee Marcus Rashford at Villa last season. That left him unsettled, and he wasn’t shy to express his frustrations publicly.
But Rashford has since returned to United and gone on to secure a loan move to Barcelona until at least next summer, creating an opportunity for Watkins to reclaim his place in the starting line-up – although that could end up being at Old Trafford instead.
Listen to the full Rio Meets Bryan Mbeumo interview on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
2025-07-29 17:00:00
