Archive July 17, 2025

Manchester United have made a third bid for Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo that could be worth up to £70m.

The offer is understood to be an initial £65m, with £5m in add-ons.

Brentford are yet to respond to the offer.

Although United have been strongly linked with Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in recent days, it has always been the priority at Old Trafford to get the Mbeumo deal done in time for Amorim to work with him in the Chicago, where United will largely be based for their 13-day trip.

The 25-year-old scored 20 Premier League goals last season and a number of clubs were interested in him, including Tottenham, now managed by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank.

However, Mbeumo’s preference was to join United.

Brentford’s other main goal threat, striker Yoane Wissa, is the subject of interest from Newcastle.

Last season Amorim repeatedly spoke about United’s failure to convert their chances.

Their 44 Premier League goals was their worst return in a domestic campaign since they were relegated in 1973-74.

If the transfer goes through, it is likely to mean skipper Bruno Fernandes playing in a deeper role as Cunha is earmarked for one of the two inside forward slots behind a main striker that Amorim prefers.

It will also mean there is even less chance of the four forward players presently in first-team exile – Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Antony – being brought back into the fold.

Safia Middleton-Patel has already made history this month, but the hope is that her time in the limelight can be a catalyst for change.

The goalkeeper – whose father is Indian – became the first female player of Asian heritage to play for Wales at a major tournament when she featured in her side’s 4-1 group-stage loss to France at Euro 2025.

And journalist Miriam Walker-Khan – who founded Brown Girl Sport, a site telling stories of South Asian women in sport – believes Middleton-Patel is the first player of South Asian heritage to play at a women’s Euros for any nation.

“For people who grew up with no representation in sport at that level, that was a crazy feeling.

“I’m not even Welsh, but to see a British player make that kind of history with the name Patel on the back of her shirt is insane and something we’ve been waiting so long for in women’s football.”

Roopa Vyas – chief operating officer of Her Game Too and founder of Her Game Too Cymru – feels it could prove a watershed moment.

“It’s overwhelming in the best way,” she told BBC Sport Wales.

Middleton-Patel’s exploits came after left-back Neil Taylor – whose mother is Indian – became the first player of Asian heritage to play for Wales’ men’s side at a major tournament during their historic run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 in France.

In 2021, Taylor gave his backing to the Professional Footballers’ Association’s (PFA) Asian Inclusion Mentoring Scheme (AIMS).

The scheme’s strategy is to “develop a sustainable flow of players of South Asian heritage into the professional game” – namely into the Premier League, English Football League and Women’s Super League.

Simone Pound – the PFA’s director of equality, diversity and inclusion – states the scheme has demonstrated “impressive year-on-year growth” – with the programme’s figures growing from just six players in 2019 to more than 140 in 2024.

Speaking on the Football Association of Wales’ Red Wall+ series, 43-cap former defender Taylor said of the initiative: “Originally when we had the conversation, it was about getting participation levels up in the UK.

“Then we actually decided to get some data. What we found out was there’s plenty of participation at grassroots level.

“Where the numbers fall away is from there (grassroots) to academies. So then we got a real idea of what we needed to do.

“The old phrase, ‘you can’t be it if you can’t see it’, I never really believed in it much when I was young. But since I’ve got older and have seen what this has done especially, it does play a big part, and I think there is going to be a shift.

Former Brentford player Riz Rehman runs AIMS as part of his role as player inclusion executive at the PFA.

And Rehman believes Middleton-Patel’s debut at the Euros – her fifth cap overall for her country – has the potential to positively influence the future generation who may have previously felt their route into the game was blocked.

“Visibility is incredibly impactful, especially on a major international stage like the Euros,” he told BBC Sport Wales.

“Representation at the top level plays a huge role in shifting perceptions and positively impacting how people feel about a sport which they may not have previously thought was ‘for them’.

“In that sense, what Safia has done this summer is so important, and it’s right that it’s celebrated.”

While Middleton-Patel’s showing on the big stage represents a landmark moment in numerous ways, Vyas says it must become “a turning point” for future players.

“As powerful as that visibility is, it can’t do all the work on its own,” she explained.

“Safia shouldn’t have to carry the weight of change just by existing in that space. If we want to see more players from South Asian backgrounds breaking through, we need to meet this moment with real, practical action – not just celebration.

“That means challenging outdated assumptions in talent ID, properly supporting girls at grassroots level, and making sure football environments actually feel safe and inclusive – for them and for their families.

“Saf is such an incredible role model and speaks out about so much brilliant stuff when it comes to neurodiversity,” added journalist Walker-Khan. “Saf is a legend already.”

Long before Manchester United’s Middleton-Patel, 20, had even been included in the Wales squad for the summer tournament in Switzerland, she was viewed by many as a strong role model.

She has regularly spoken about living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the various coping mechanisms she deploys.

Her openness on the subject is deemed particularly crucial given that a recent PFA survey showed 60% of professional footballers who have reported they have certain neurodivergent traits have not disclosed them to their team or club.

The goalkeeper was among those to collaborate with the PFA as part of their neurodiversity player research project – which looks at prevalence rates of neurodiversity in footballers and the awareness levels among players.

Vyas – who hailed Middleton-Patel as an “incredible role model” – added: “She’s showing girls and people of all ages that you don’t have to tick every box or edit yourself to belong in this game.

“You can succeed while being true to who you are. And that’s what makes her such a powerful figure.

The number of football matches in England and Wales with reported incidents of disorder increased by 18% during the 2024-25 season, according to latest policing figures.

The Home Office says the number of reported incidents rose from 1,341 in 2023-24 to 1,583 and include football-related violence, disorder, anti-social behaviour and harm.

It means at least one incident was reported at more than half of the 3,090 matches played last season from the Premier League down to the National League and games in FA Cup, League Cup, Football League Trophy, Champions League, Europa League, Conference League and international fixtures.

The number of arrests, however, dropped by 11% from 2,167 to 1,932 – a first decrease since fans returned to the stadiums after the Covid-19 pandemic.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council said the “worrying level of offending at men’s football matches across the country” is putting an increased strain on the police.

“Policing men’s football creates significantly more demand than any other event in terms of public order deployments nationally, meaning every week, officers are taken away from policing communities to facilitate matches.”

He added “the police are subsidising clubs that quite happily spend up to a £1bn in a single transfer window.”

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, the head of the Metropolitan Police, also said earlier this month the clubs must pay towards the £70m cost of policing their matches every year.

Hate crime, reported at 420 matches last season, was the most common incident while 287 were related to race, 140 to sexual orientation, 20 to religion, 19 to disability and three to gender identity.

Manchester United had 121 fans arrested during the season – more than an any other club in the top six tiers of English football.

Manchester City were second with 94 arrests and West Ham, who had the most arrests in each of the previous three seasons, followed with 77 arrests.

The most common offences for arrest were public disorder (32%), violent disorder (22%) and the possession of Class A drugs (19%).

Rules introduced ahead of the 2022-23 season mean anyone caught in possession of Class A drugs in connection with football faces a five-year ban.

The number of online hate crimes also decreased from 322 in 2023-24 to 212 last season. Of these, 199 were related to men’s game and 13 to women’s.

Policing minister Diana Johnson said: “Police up and down the country work incredibly hard to ensure football stadiums are safe, so we can all enjoy our national game.