Manchester United are holding “internal discussions” over the next striker to target after the club’s failed pursuit of Liam Delap with a “list of names under consideration,” according to a report.
The Red Devils had identified Delap, 22, as their “first-choice” option up front to buttress Ruben Amorim’s misfiring forward line after the abysmal campaign from current number nine, Rasmus Hojlund.
United held “face-to-face talks” with the Ipswich Town striker, whose contract at Portman Road contains a £30 million relegation clause. This was triggered in April after the Tractor Boys were confirmed to be returning to the Championship, putting a host of clubs on red-alert.
Caught Offside reveals Old Trafford officials “were at various points confident” they would win this race for Delap, despite Chelsea, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, and Everton all expressing interest in the England U-21 international.
However, the prospect of Champions League football and reuniting with Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge proved decisive in Delap’s decision as he rebuffed United’s advances in favour of a switch to Chelsea.
Caught Offside describes how United’s lack of European football – confirmed after the dismal 1-0 defeat in the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur – appears to have “cost them dearly” in their pursuit of Delap as it “swung things massively in Chelsea’s favour.”
The report contends United have “have long had other alternatives in mind” to Delap with a “list of names” being assessed in the wake of the 22-year-old striker’s rejection. The report stresses “no final decision has been made yet” on who the club will target, however.
The list comprises Victor Osimhen (Napoli, but currently on loan at Galatasaray), Jonathan David (Lille), Randal Kolo Muani (PSG, but currently on loan at Juventus) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace).
Caught Offside also touches upon United’s interest in Viktor Gyokeres (Sporting CP) and Benjamin Sesko (RB Leipzig) but deems moves for either striker unlikely with European football next season thought to be key for both.
Similarly, the report assesses a move for Oismhen as complicated due to the Nigerian international having “both a high asking price and high salary demands” at a time when the financial situation at Old Trafford is fraught.
“It also needs to be stressed that United have to be careful this summer due to needing to sell before they can buy” with Osimhen increasingly linked with a blockbuster move to Saudi Arabia that the Red Devils could not hope to compete with financially.
By contrast, David would present a bargain as the Canadian forward’s contract with Lille is set to expire this month and could be signed on a free transfer. However, Caught Offside reveals the 25-year-old is “widely felt to be advancing in talks to join Napoli” and United appear too late to the party.
Kolo Muani is currently on loan at Juventus after joining the Serie A side from Paris-Saint Germain in the January window. PSG are open to the French forward’s departure this summer but reports from Italy earlier in the year suggested Juventus were set to agree a permanent deal once his loan expires.
Equally, United could have tried themselves to sign Kolo Muani in the winter window, indicating their interest is reactionary rather than proactive come the summer.
This leaves Mateta, Crystal Palace’s FA Cup winning frontman with 14 goals in the Premier League this season.
The Frenchman offers the profile of striker Amorim prefers with the physicality to lead the line and underrated technical ability with his back to goal. But Mateta turns 28 this month and would cost in the region of £40 million.
Palace are also under no pressure to sell with the guarantee of European football at Selhurst Park next season and likely to drive a hard bargain for their striker.
It’s evident, therefore, why United had identified a move for Delap – a 22-year-old striker with an affordable release clause, and considerable scope for improvement, who is Premier League proven – as a priority; and why his rejection has thrown the Reds into a panic.
The firs three names on the club’s list of alternatives who do not mirror these attributes, with deals for Osimhen, David and Kolo Muani all looking increasingly unrealistic anyways, while the last option – Mateta – is a profile INEOS have sought to avoid recruiting since taking over the football operation at Old Trafford.
If this is the list United have “long had in mind” then it shows INEOS have not implemented the ‘best-in-class’ revolution they promised at the executive level at Old Trafford. A rejection from an Ipswich Town striker would not throw your transfer plan into tatters if you were the best in your field.
Featured image Jan Kruger via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
