Manchester United’s failure to secure Champions League football for next season has not changed their plans to move for Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, according to reports.
Wednesday night’s flat 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao has left Ruben Amorim with only the Premier League to think about next season.
The Europa League final defeat has hurt the club’s finances and is certain to have led to a hasty redrawing of transfer plans, but according to Football Insider nothing has changed regarding United’s pursuit of Delap.
The Red Devils have long been linked with the player, and in some circles are believed to be in pole position to bring him on board in the summer.
There is considerable competition for the powerful centre-forward, who has managed 12 goals in 39 games for relegated Ipswich.
Chelsea are right in the mix, as are Everton, and recent reports indicated Newcastle United are keen on the player, who is also attracting interest from across Europe.
Football Insider claim an exclusive on the news that the lack of Champions League football has not derailed United’s pursuit, but caveat that playing in the prestigious competition “would have been a huge selling point” for Delap himself, who will of course have the final say.
If anything, missing out on the estimated £100m which Champions League qualification could have brought to Old Trafford probably makes a move for a striker with a £30m release clause more likely, not less.
Other options, such as Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, would cost perhaps twice that amount.
And dipping much below that price point introduces the risk of missing out on quality and experience – although he is only 22, Delap has nevertheless impressed in a struggling side in the notoriously tough Premier League.
United’s existing striker options chronically underperformed this season, with Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee managing just seven league goals between them.
Delap would be a shot in the arm for Amorim’s attack, and his experience in English football should enable him to hit the ground running should he make it to Old Trafford in the summer.
Featured image Jan Kruger via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
