Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim (Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Manchester United reportedly hold an interest in impressive Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap ahead of the January transfer window.
Delap's permanent move from Manchester City in the summer to the Premier League new boys raised its fair share of eyebrows. The 21-year-old only managed eight goals in the Championship with Hull City the season prior so a promotion to Ipswich was seen as a gamble.
However, the forward is proving boss Kieran McKenna right with six goals in 16 Premier League appearances already for the club. According to The Athletic, this has caught not only the eye of United but Chelsea too.
For United though, there could be an unfortunate catch. According to the report, City are likely to have included a buy-back or matching rights clause in the deal to Ipswich.
As such, they could scupper United or any other club from snatching up Delap in the future. A move in January is not thought to be likely however, should he continue to perform at the levels currently seen, the summer window might be when top clubs try and strike.
Should United be in this conversation in the summer, it would be a bitter pill to swallow missing out on Delap to their local rivals. Currently, there are just two centre-forwards available in the senior squad and doubts persist over whether Joshua Zirkzee can become a formidable talent.
Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres continues to be tipped with a move to United in the summer and reunite with Ruben Amorim. If that deal falls through, Delap could be a good alternative with him showing similar attributes to the Swede - if not currently as prolific.
Try MUFC Pro NOW for free
Subscribe to our brilliant app for the best way to enjoy the M.E.N's unrivalled Manchester United coverage.
No adverts, pop-ups or distractions - just our brilliant content presented in the best way possible.
Comprehensive, round-the-clock coverage of the Reds, with agenda-setting breaking news and insight from Samuel Luckhurst and our authoritative team of United writers
Exclusive content for subscribers
New interactive elements including (coming soon) quizzes to test your United knowledge.
Try MUFC Pro for a front-row seat to the action at absolutely no cost for the first month. You can get started by downloading our app here on iPhone, or here on Android.* If you a *lready have our app, click on the ''MUFC Pro',' Subscribe' or ' Remove ads' links.
*Free trial auto renews at £19.99 annually unless cancelled. T&C’s apply. Ad-free indicates that you will not be shown standard display ad formats with the articles that you read, selected articles may contain commercial messages/affiliate links where contractually required.