Manchester United are reportedly confident on agreeing a deal to sign Ipswich Town star Liam Delap – but only if one key benchmark is reached, as Chelsea are also keen on a move for the striker.
Delap is thought to have a release clause in his contract for around £30million following Ipswich’s relegation to the Championship this season, with Manchester City due around a third of any fee as well. The 22-year-old has only been at Portman Road for a year, following his £20million move from City last summer.
football.london understands that Chelsea are searching for a striker in the summer transfer window, and have a four-man shortlist consisting of Delap, Jonathan David, Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko. Victor Osimhen is also still admired and being looked at, but the Nigerian would present the most expensive option – and he is also the oldest.
However, the Blues will face competition from other Premier League clubs if they do wish to sign Delap, with Manchester United chief among them. According to Ben Jacobs, Ruben Amorim’s club have “made a strong pitch already” to the 22-year-old following their struggles this season which leave them in 16th place in the Premier League.
However, Delap is apparently set to wait until the end of the season to make a decision, and whether the two clubs will be involved in the Champions League next year. Chelsea are currently fifth in the Premier League table, level on points with sixth-place Aston Villa but holding a far superior goal-difference advantage heading into the final two games of the season.
Meanwhile, United will need to beat Tottenham in the Europa League final to secure a place in Europe’s top competition next season. If they do not manage to beat Ange Postecoglou’s team in Bilbao, it’s likely their transfer budget will be seriously affected with no other route into European football next year.
That could be a boost for Chelsea, though with Delap’s relatively low transfer fee it could still be a deal that the Red Devils could easily afford. However, whether the ambitious striker would settle for a move to Old Trafford should they go without European football remains to be seen.
According to the report, the striker wants to make a decision on his future before he joins up with the England Under-21s squad for their European Championship tournament this summer. The tournament runs from June 11th-28th this summer,.
That means if Chelsea agree a deal for the 22-year-old, a transfer could be completed during the early summer transfer window between June 1st-10th this summer, though it looks unlikely he would join up with the Blues for their Club World Cup campaign in the USA due to his participation with the England Under-21s.
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