Liam Delap is enjoying a superb season with Ipswich after hitting ten Premier League goals and Manchester United are said to be one of the teams chasing his signature - with Ruben Amorim seeking a reliable goalscorer
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Liam Delap
Manchester United have been given a boost in their pursuit of Liam Delap
(Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United have been given a boost in their pursuit of Ipswich striker Liam Delap after the club's chairman admitted selling players is a "cycle of football". Delap has turned heads with his impressive performances for the Tractor Boys, netting 10 times for Kieran McKenna's men this season.
He has now reportedly been added to Ruben Amorim's five-man shortlist of strikers ahead of the summer transfer window. United are in desperate need of more firepower, with Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee failing to offer a steady supply of goals up front this season.
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Delap is said to have been included on United's watchlist along with Hugo Ekitike, Red Bull Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, Victor Osimhen and Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres.
The Red Devils are currently 13th in the Premier League and face a huge task to get back to the summit of the Premier League, but as a starting point Amorim needs a forward who can guarantee goals every matchday.
And if he believes Delap is the man to deliver on that, he may have received a boost after Ipswich chairman Mark Ashton conceded the club may have to sell their best players eventually.
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Speaking to the East Anglian Times, he said: "What I can say is that in January there was interest in a number of our players from a number of Premier League clubs. But ownership were great, it was 'you don't have to sell'.
"Obviously there is always a natural point in time when a player has to move. That's the cycle of life, it's the cycle of football. But we are very, very, very well protected with all of that."
Ipswich are still fighting relegation but are 18th in the table and nine points off 17th-placed Wolves. The presence of Delap will be vital to their survival hopes but should they go down, United could haggle for a reduced price.
Liam Delap celebrates against Manchester United
Ipswich's chairman has admitted they could sell their best players amid Delap's links to Old Trafford
He cost Ipswich around £20m from Manchester City last summer and there have been indications that any interested club would need to pay north of £50m to tempt the East Anglian club.
Delap addressed speculation over his future last month but insisted he was in no rush for new challenge and was enjoying his time at Portman Road.
"I’m so happy here, I’m enjoying it so much here. I just look forward to playing football. I take every game as it comes and focus on the next," he told the East Anglian Daily Times last month. "It [the media speculation] is something that I try and stay away from. People around me have told me to stay away from it, it’s something that I’m very good at in focusing on what I want to do. That’s playing football here.
"I’m really enjoying my time here and I enjoy playing every week. That’s the most important thing. We know, as players and people, that there is noise. If we have a bad game and people are slating us for not performing or getting the right results, we stay focused on ourselves and what we have to achieve."
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