According to reports, ‘one key advantage’ is boosting Manchester United’s chances of beating Liverpool and Chelsea in the race to sign Liam Delap.
The 22-year-old progressed through the ranks at Man City, who sold him to Premier League rivals Ipswich Town during last year’s summer transfer window.
Delap shone on loan in the Championship with Hull City last season, and joined newly-promoted Ipswich for around £20m.
The England U21 international has surpassed expectations this term, grabbing ten goals and two assists in 31 appearances for Kieran McKenna’s struggling side.
Ipswich are unlikely to retain Delap following their expected relegation, as he is attracting interest from several Big Six sides ahead of this summer.
READ: Man Utd: Rashford, Garnacho and Greenwood among £231m sextet who could fund summer rebuild
Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal are likely to be in the market for a new striker this summer, and Delap represents a cheaper solution with his reported £40m release clause.
The Red Devils are crying out for a new striker as Rasmus Hojlund and Joshuz Zirkzee have been heavily criticised for their poor performances this season.
Delap’s Premier League experience is a factor in his favour, with the potential alternatives including Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Osimhen, who are among the contenders to be this year’s leading scorer in Europe.
Regarding Delap, a report from The Daily Mail claims Man Utd have ‘internally stepped up’ with ‘one key advantage’ boosting Ruben Amorim’s side in a ‘five-way battle’.
‘Manchester United have held more discussions internally over a potential summer move for Ipswich striker Liam Delap.
‘United will face competition from a number of rivals including Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle and his old club Manchester City who have a buyback option on the 22-year-old.’
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‘One advantage in their favour is that technical director Jason Wilcox knows Delap well from his time at City’s academy.
‘A striker is one of United’s priorities in the transfer market this summer, and they will try to fund a deal by offloading Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.’
It is also claimed that a summer ‘swap deal’ involving Osimhen is ‘feasible’.
‘Victor Osimhen, currently on loan at Galatasaray from Napoli, is another striker on United’s radar and that could feasibly involve a swap deal involving Alejandro Garnacho who was linked with the Italian club in January.
‘Rashford has a £40m option in his loan deal at Aston Villa, and it’s understood he could join other clubs for a similar fee.
‘There is an obligation for Chelsea to turn Sancho’s loan into a permanent move worth between £22-25m, although Confidential revealed that the Londoners will face a financial penalty – since confirmed as £5m – if they break that agreement and sign another winger instead.’
