Manchester United has made Ipswich Town`s Liam Delap their primary transfer target for the upcoming summer window.
The club, known as the Red Devils, has identified the 22-year-old Delap as their top choice for a forward position, prioritizing him over other potential signings like Viktor Gyokeres, Benjamin Sesko, and Victor Osimhen.
Delap has become a leading candidate for the hierarchy at Old Trafford, as manager Ruben Amorim is expected to receive significant financial backing during the summer transfer period.
It is understood that Delap, who has impressively scored 12 Premier League goals in 30 appearances this season, could be available for £40 million if Ipswich Town faces relegation at the end of the season, which is considered a strong possibility.
The striker initially joined Ipswich from Manchester City, Manchester United`s local rivals, in a £20 million deal last summer.
Manchester City, managed by Pep Guardiola, reportedly has a £40 million buy-back clause in Delap`s contract. However, they are unlikely to activate it, especially after recently awarding Erling Haaland a new long-term contract.
Despite this, Manchester City is still set to gain financially from any sale of Delap, potentially benefiting from Manchester United`s acquisition of the player.
This is because City retains a 20 percent sell-on clause for Delap, meaning they will receive 20 percent of any profit Ipswich makes from his sale.
However, securing Delap`s signature will not be straightforward for Manchester United, as Chelsea is among several other prominent clubs that are also interested in the Ipswich forward.
Liam Delap, son of former Stoke City player and long-throw specialist Rory Delap, would also face competition for a starting position at Manchester United, vying with current forwards Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.
Notably, both Hojlund and Zirkzee have experienced difficulties in scoring goals this season.
Hojlund has only managed to score once in his last 24 games across all competitions, while Zirkzee`s record is only slightly better with two goals in his last 22 appearances for Manchester United.
Manchester United had also shown strong interest in Viktor Gyokeres, 26, who previously played under their current manager Ruben Amorim at Sporting Lisbon.
However, Gyokeres is expected to command a significantly higher transfer fee than Delap and is also anticipated to attract interest from Arsenal during the summer.
