United had summer deal “90% done” for striker who joined rivals instead, would have transformed the rest of their window – report

Manchester United spent well in excess of £200m over the summer to hand Ruben Amorim a brand-new front three.

Matheus Cunha was brought in from Wolverhampton Wanderers and was followed through the door, after protracted negotiations with Brentford, by Bryan Mbeumo.

These two Premier League-proven options were no-brainers to come in as a new pair of number 10s in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system, but United seemed less sure of their ideal centre-forward.

Delap an early favourite

The Red Devils were expected to look for a new striker as soon as the window opened, and while links popped up with forwards from across Europe they seemed to have an early favourite.

Liam Delap scored 12 goals for a doomed Ipswich Town, whose relegation meant he was available for just £30m.

The Englishman was a less glamorous option than the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Victor Osimhen, who were also tirelessly linked with an Old Trafford switch.

However, his age, Premier League experience and budget-friendly price tag appealed greatly to United chiefs looking for a long-term solution to the long-running issue of the club’s centre-forward spot.

Deal was almost done

Ultimately United signed Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig in a deal worth up to £74m to complete Amorim’s new attacking trifecta.

But according to the Daily Mail, Delap came very close to joining the Red Devils in a cheaper move which would have allowed spending on other positions.

The outlet claim that a move for Delap, who ended up joining Chelsea instead, “was 90 per cent done for £30m”.

According to the Mail this was something of a “sliding doors moment” as United’s budget to bring in a new midfielder was suddenly slashed.

That said, the Mail note that the lack of strong links to midfielders throughout the summer, and the fact that the failed pursuit of Carlos Baleba did not lead to any other movement, indicates that “attackers were top of the agenda all summer long.”

Delap’s time at Chelsea has been curtailed by injury so far, although he did manage one goal and one assist at the Club World Cup before he was sidelined.

Featured image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images

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