Liam Delap is poised to leave Ipswich for £30million when the transfer window opens, but his destination remains unclear with Chelsea and Manchester United battling it out
Manchester United will face serious competition for Liam Delap this summer, with Chelsea ready to go head to head for his signature. Delap is poised to leave Ipswich Town following their relegation from the Premier League and is widely expected to be one of the first deals done when the transfer window opens on June 1 – but his destination remains unclear.
The 22-year-old striker has caught the eye by contributing 12 goals and two assists in 35 Premier League matches for Ipswich this season. He has proven his ability, despite playing in a struggling side, and his £30million release clause has been activated by Ipswich’s relegation.
The fact he will leave and for how much are not in question, but whether he will go to United or Chelsea is up in the air. Despite their dreadful domestic campaign this season, it had appeared as though Delap preferred a move to United over Chelsea.
He had been earmarked for a double move worth £92.5m alongside Wolves ’ Matheus Cunha, with Ruben Amorim desperate to get reinforcements up front.
But Delap’s decision could be swayed by the result of the Europa League final, where United face Tottenham next Wednesday for a piece of silverware and a place in next season’s Champions League.
By contrast, Chelsea sit fifth in the Premier League with two matches left to play and are therefore already poised to qualify for the Champions League. The Sun reports that the Blues also have the advantage in the form of Enzo Maresca, who coached Delap during his time in Manchester City ’s academy.
Meanwhile, Chelsea's recruitment director Joe Shields played a role in sealing Delap's move from Derby to City's academy in 2019.
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Like United, Chelsea are in need of a striker, with Nicolas Jackson the only senior centre-forward in Maresca’s squad. Delap should therefore be confident of securing game time at Stamford Bridge were he to choose west London over Manchester.
His Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna has no doubt that he has what it takes to succeed at a top club – although he still wants to keep hold of him. “As I've said before, I think there's certainly a possibility that he's an Ipswich player next year,” he said last month.
"I don't think anything's decided in anyone's mind. But can Liam play for the biggest clubs in the country, the biggest clubs in the world? He certainly can. I fully believe that.
"He's already shown the impact he can have at Premier League level in a team that have really been fighting for everything. I think he can have an outstanding impact at this level.
"He's happy and he's developing really well here. He has the potential. I think he will, in his career, go on to do some really, really good things."