Liam Delap has expressed his desire to join Chelsea over Manchester United in the upcoming summer transfer window. The 22-yea- old striker is set to leave Ipswich Town when his £30million release clause becomes active next month. Delap has had an impressive season, netting 12 goals in the Premier League, and the Tractor Boys' subsequent relegation to the Championship has paved the way for his departure.
Everton manager David Moyes revealed last week that Delap had been in talks with "spoken to three or four clubs". United were previously hopeful of securing the England under-21 international, but recent developments seem to have shifted the scales. Ruben Amorim's side ended a disappointing 15th in the Premier League and will not participate in any European football next season after losing the Europa League final to Tottenham.
On the other hand, Chelsea concluded the season on a high note, clinching a Champions League spot by finishing fourth and then winning the Conference League against Real Betis in Wednesday's final. They also have personal ties to Delap, courtesy of Enzo Maresca and recruitment director Joe Shields.
Maresca mentored Delap during his stint at Manchester City's academy, while Shields was instrumental in facilitating Delap's move from Derby to City's academy in 2019. These connections have reportedly led to Delap giving Chelsea the go-ahead for the deal.
Chelsea are now poised to activate his £30m release clause, leaving Manchester United and their hopes for a double deal in jeopardy. The Red Devils had dreams of snatching both Matheus Cunha for a cool £62.5m from Wolves and Delap, but their recent stumbles on the pitch might have derailed those ambitions.
"Liam's looking at his options for next year, which I think he is entitled to do and we support him with that," Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna stated recently when confirming Delap's search for a new club.
"I think we have given him permission to do that this week. It's a very important decision for his future. Of course there is a lot of interest – and rightly so. I think part of his week has been having some of those conversations.
"It looks more likely than not that he will move on this summer and he has interest from pretty much every club in the league, and I don't think there are many clubs in the world who wouldn't want to have him. (However) nothing is sorted, nothing is done or completed or even very, very, very close, so that process will take its course."