Manchester United suffered an early transfer blow this summer by missing out on top striker target Liam Delap.
Heading into the summer, it was no secret that Manchester United would be in the market for a striker and Ineos wanted to sign Liam Delap following Ipswich Town’s relegation from the Premier League.
However, Delap rejected United for Chelsea and made a £30 million move to the London club ahead of the Fifa Club World Cup.
Now that the 22-year-old is out of the picture, United have moved onto other targets and talks are “accelerating” for Hugo Ekitike as a potential striker option.
However, once again United will have to go head-to-head with Chelsea for his signature.
Hugo Ekitike of Eintracht Frankfurt celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the Bundesliga match between Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig
Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images
Man United can get Chelsea revenge by signing Hugo Ekitike
Chelsea well and truly put a spanner in United’s transfer plans by winning the race for Delap’s signature and now the Red Devils have the chance to repay the favour.
Ekitike is a boyhood United fan which should put Ineos in a strong negotiating position to sign the Eintracht Frankfurt forward. Even with no European football to offer in 2025/26, United will be fairly confident in their ability to convince the young striker who scored 22 goals last season.
While reports suggest Ekitike is valued at £85m by Frankfurt, there have been suggestions that a deal could be struck for less.
More United News
Manchester United have enquired about the availability of Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike.
As previously reported by The Athletic, Ekitike is already of interest to Chelsea. But #MUFC have made contact with Frankfurt in recent weeks to try to understand the player’s… pic.twitter.com/Zqb1D7nyCo
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) June 17, 2025
View Tweet
According to The Athletic, Chelsea are also heavily interested in Ekitike, but with Delap arriving at Stamford Bridge before him, it is unclear who will be Enzo Maresca’s first-choice striker.
Man United can offer Hugo Ekitike what Chelsea cannot
Chelsea are still on the lookout for a new centre-forward even after signing Delap this summer. The Blues also have Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu on their books as strikers.
Therefore, if Ekitike did make the move to Stamford Bridge, there is no guarantee that he would be a regular starter there.
That is not the case at United following on from Rasmus Hojlund’s underwhelming 2024/25 season. Ruben Amorim is desperate for a new centre-forward and whoever arrives this summer will likely be the favoured first-choice option.
READ MORE: Fabrizio Romano adds latest twist to Hugo Ekitike transfer story as Man Utd lurk, ‘Don’t forget…’
The only thing that will perhaps worry Ineos and Amorim are Ekitike’s underlying stats at Frankfurt. While he has shown plenty of potential in Germany, it is not yet clear whether he is ready to handle the pressure of being United’s first-choice striker.
There are some red flags around the Ekitike deal, and yet it still seems he could demand a huge transfer fee. Ineos have a huge call to make.