Liam Delap of Ipswich Town
Liam Delap looks set to deal Manchester United a big blow
After a disappointing 2024/25 campaign, Manchester United will have been hoping their transfer strategy to help move past this was watertight.
But Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap is increasingly likely to sign for Premier League rivals Chelsea in the coming weeks. The Manchester Evening News understands that is the 22-year-old's preference after a number of suitors have come forward with interest.
One of those suitors was United, who had been hoping to add Delap to Ruben Amorim's ranks as well as Wolves forward Matheus Cunha, with it understood his £62.5m release clause is willing to be met by Old Trafford chiefs.
Delap himself has a £30m release clause and in front of the backdrop of 12 goals scored in the top-flight for the relegated Tractor Boys plus his young age, clubs have been lining up for an English talent with huge potential.
The £92.5m cost in total would then look to have been offset by the planned sales of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony, all of whom finished the season out on loan to other clubs.
So with United being dealt a considerable blow in landing one of their top two targets, MEN Sport writers have their say on how United can move past Delap and find another suitable target.
James Quinlan
I was off the belief that United should have gone all-out for Viktor Gyokeres long before the summer arrived. He's the best on the market, worked with Amorim before to great effect and guarantees goals.
But, if Cunha and Delap was to be the plan instead, so be it.
Cunha, I certainly rate as he had a great record in Germany in his early career and now is Premier League proven. He offers more than a simple No.9, so losing out on him and landing Delap would by far have been the bigger blow.
United can live without Delap. We've all seen with Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee how it is to rely upon young strikers - buying a third seems counter productive, even if this one may actually go on to do great things.
What Amorim needs is somebody who is ready to provide - that is Cunha. Maybe one of Hojlund or Zirkzee stays on as back-up, or a surprise pick would be to see how Chido Obi steps up too.
Jack Flintham
Missing out on Delap feels more of a concern because United don't seem to have a Plan B at present than it ought to. Yes, Delap is a promising young talent at a reasonable price but there are still question marks as to whether he can do it consistently at the highest level.
Signing a different striker instead of Delap is not an issue but when United had their heart set on the Englishman, where do they go from here? In my opinion, they should go where their efforts should have been focused originally, Victor Osimhen.
The Nigerian has been one of the best goalscorers in Europe for several seasons and Napoli are having to sell him at the fraction of the price due to his desire to depart. A whopping 36 goals for Galatasaray should be more than enough reason to target the striker.
The only issue I envisage is whether his wage demands will be too high for the Reds. But, if Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony's wages are expected to leave, there could be room for United to meet his demands.
Amie Wilson
Missing out on Delap will be a big blow to United. Eventhough he’s only done it for one season, finding a young player who has scored goals in the Premier League for just £30 million doesn’t come along too often.
Who United go for now will probably depend on the sort of budget they have for a striker. For me, I would say Viktor Gyokeres would be the idea signing, but with the club closing in on a £62.5 million move for Matheus Cunha, is there room in the budget to spent a similar fee on Gyokeres.
Then there’s the thing of the competition. Arsenal, who can offer Champions League football, have also been heavily linked with the Swede, it could therefore be a hard sell for United with no European football to offer.
So, could United potentially stick with what they have? It could see Chido Obi given more game time and more chances. If that’s the case, united will be hoping he can step up.
Isaac Seelochan
I question whether Delap is what United needed. Yes, he is avalible for a relatively cheap fee but moving from Ipswich to Man United is a significant jump.
We've seen with Rasmus Hojlund that signing a young striker can go wrong when they don't have the experience of already playing for a huge club. Delap is better than Hojlund but is likely to have faced the same problems at Old Trafford and that's the last thing United need next season.
In terms of who they could go for next, Gyokeres and Osimhen are the obvious options, but only if they really want to join. The Reds need to stop looking desperate by signing players who are not keen and offering extortionate wages.
Of the two options, Gyokeres looks the better fit having worked under Amorim before and he does have an outstanding goalscoring pedigree. If the Reds can shift Rashford, Sancho, Antony and a few others they may be able to afford him.
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Matthew Abbott
It is difficult to see where United can sign a striker for a comparable fee if they do not land Liam Delap. Due to his £30million relegation release clause, the Ipswich Town centre-forward is an outlier on the market this summer.
Other options expected to be on the move will likely leave their current clubs for at least double that. Matheus Cunha is one of those, while Benjamin Sesko (£93million), Hugo Ekitike (£84million) and Viktor Gyokeres (£67million) are among the other most sought-after attackers this summer.
Victor Osimhen, of those available, now appears the most attainable. After spending this season on loan at Galatasaray, a permanent move away now seems inevitable, regardless of the uncertainty surrounding Antonio Conte's future at Napoli.
The striker has a circa €75million (£63m) release clause, a price similar to the buyout in Cunha's contract. However, the reputed potential to include Rasmus Hojlund in any deal to reduce their outlay to around €40million (£34million) now appears to be the best-case scenario for United.