Manager Ruben Amorim of Manchester United looks dejected after losing the UEFA Europa League Final 2025 between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Estadio de San Mames on May 21, 2025 in Bilbao, Spain.Manager Ruben Amorim of Manchester United looks dejected after losing the UEFA Europa League Final 2025 between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Estadio de San Mames on May 21, 2025 in Bilbao, Spain.
Manager Ruben Amorim of Manchester United looks dejected after losing the UEFA Europa League Final 2025 between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Estadio de San Mames on May 21, 2025 in Bilbao, Spain. | Manchester United via Getty Imag
Manchester United are in the market for a new striker in the summer transfer window
Defeat in a European final is always a huge blow for any side. For Manchester United, it could be a massive one. With the club in disarray on and off the pitch over the last couple of years, the Europa League final offered one final chance at salvation. One chance to say that all the domestic suffering the club have been through, all the cost-cutting measures and redundancies made by INEOS, were worth it. But it wasn’t to be.
Brennan Johnson scored a scruffy first-half winner for Tottenham Hotspur which proved the difference, as Ange Postecoglou got to proudly show critics that he does in fact win trophies in his second season. As for United, they have had to deal with the fall-out.
One question which remains to be answered is how much money United will be allowed to spend this summer. An £100m budget has been cited, but will this change if the likes of Alejandro Garnacho are sold? One thing which is for certain is that the Red Devils would be smart to pick up any bargains they can get their hands on.
12-goal Premier League striker will be on the move
Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap is one transfer who would fall under the bargain category, with a fixed £30m release clause in his contract which became active after the Tractor Boys’ relegation from the Premier League at the first attempt. Delap struck 12 goals in his debut Premier League campaign, and has attracted attention from clubs across the division.
The 22-year-old has been heavily linked with United and talks have reportedly taken place, though the Red Devils’ failure to qualify for Europe may have thrown a spanner in the works amidst interest from Newcastle United and Chelsea. Delap’s next move will be a crucial one for his career, and he may feel that his best option lies away from Old Trafford.
United must make a move for Jonathan David
The Red Devils could be missing out on a major coup if they didn’t make a serious attempt to bring in one of the most spoken-about strikers in Europe right now, in the shape of Lille frontman Jonathan David.
The 25-year-old Canadian international announced on social media earlier this month that he will depart the French club at the end of the season, having run down his contract with aims to sign for a Premier League club. United have been previously linked, but a move has become all the more important after the club’s Europa League final defeat.
David has scored 109 goals in 232 games at Lille, a remarkable record in five years at the club. Having spent the 2024/25 season playing Champions League football with Lille (and excelling), United would have their work cut out to persuade the former Gent man that Ruben Amorim’s Old Trafford project is the right destination for him. But they should go all out to persuade him of just that.
From United’s point of view, a move for David would be ideal, and not only financially-speaking. David is a more experienced option than Delap, heading into the prime years of his career, and has already proven he can score goals at the highest level in Lille’s Champions League campaign. United have been known in recent years to sign young players too early in their careers - Rasmus Hojlund and Antony to name just two - and some may fear a similar situation could occur with Delap, an opinion Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher agreed with on Monday Night Football earlier this week.
As for David, however, he has spent several years honing his goalscoring abilities in Ligue 1 and preparing himself for a big move - and he will likely be giving the best years of his career to wherever he goes next.
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