Manchester United are set to miss out on top striker target Liam Delap to Chelsea this week as they now turn their attention elsewhere in the transfer market.
Delap has completed the first part of his medical at Chelsea ahead of a £30million move from Ipswich Town.
Manchester United had targeted the 22-year-old striker along with Newcastle United ahead of the summer transfer window due to his relegation release clause. But with Manchester United unable to offer European football and Newcastle unable to guarantee starts ahead of Alexander Isak, Delap opted to join Chelsea.
Newcastle will look at other striker options to support Isak next season, with Callum Wilson’s contract set to expire at the end of the month. Meanwhile, Manchester United have reportedly turned their attention to a former Newcastle striker.
Manchester United linked with shock move for Aleksandar Mitrovic
Mitrovic, 30, joined the Saudi Pro League from Fulham in 2023 and would reportedly be available for £40million.
The Serbian first arrived in England in 2015 as he joined Newcastle United from Anderlecht for £13million. After 17 goals in 72 games for The Magpies, Mitrovic joined Fulham on an initial loan deal that was later made permanent.
The striker enjoyed a prolific spell with The Cottagers, scoring 111 goals in 206 games, which included a record-breaking 43 goal haul in the 2021-22 Championship season.
Since joining Al-Hilal, Mitrovic has quickly established himself as one of the Saudi Pro League’s leading marksmen with 68 goals in 79 appearances for the club. Al-Hilal won the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League title, going unbeaten and scoring over 100 goals with Mitrovic leading the line.
The Serbian international is under contract until June 2026 but could be open to a return to Europe and the Premier League should the right offer come along. Mitrovic missed a large chunk of the 2024-25 season with Al-Hilal due to a hamstring injury.
Despite that, he still managed to contribute with 19 goals in 21 Saudi Pro League starts.
Like Newcastle, Al-Hilal are also majority owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. In addition to Al-Hilal and Newcastle, PIF also own Saudi Pro League clubs Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad.
Manchester United are looking to strengthen on the back of a wholly disappointing season which saw them finish 15th in the Premier League table, their lowest top flight finish since being relegated in 1974. Missing out on Europe will also have financial implications for the club, who have been cutting costs behind the scenes since INEOS’ minority takeover last year.
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Aleksandar Mitrovic shows his support for Newcastle United
Although Mitrovic’s time at Newcastle was far from the best of his career, the striker remains well-regarded by supporters of the club.
The 30-year-old claimed to be a Newcastle fan growing up due to his admiration of Alan Shearer and the black and white stripes shared with his hometown club Partizan Belgrade.
Following Newcastle’s Carabao Cup win in March, Mitrovic sent a congratulatory video message to supporter Pete Davey in a gesture that went down well on social media.
During his time at Fulham, Mitrovic let his admiration for Newcastle and its supporters known in an interview with The Athletic.
“After six months at Newcastle, you find out that everyone has had the same seat for 10 years or maybe even longer,” Mitrovic said.
“You go out to warm up and recognise everybody in the front row. ‘How are you, my friend?’. I’d speak to people and they’d say, ‘It used to be my grandad going to matches here, next it will be my kids’.
“They live for football, you know? They live for the weekend to see their team. When friends in Serbia ask me about England, I tell them about Newcastle because football is like a religion to these people.
“They gave me the chance to play in the Premier League, aged 20. It’s a massive club and I still support them. Everything that’s happened there, with the new owner and all the money, it’s fully deserved for the fans. They are the best in England, maybe in the world.”
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