Manchester United are ready to pay £30million for Ipswich Town's Liam Delap but the Red Devils have been warned against signing the former Manchester City academy star
Manchester United have been told to abandon their pursuit of Liam Delap and target Victor Osimhen instead. Delap, 22, has emerged as United's No.1 priority in their search to sign a striker this summer.
The England youth international has a £30million release clause in his contract with Ipswich Town, who were relegated from the Premier League this season. Delap still managed to score 12 goals for the Tractor Boys, boosting his stock after three promising spells in the Championship on loan from Manchester City.
But there are doubts for Delap's suitability for United. Boss Ruben Amorim already has two young strikers in his squad - Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund - neither of whom have been prolific since joining the Red Devils one and two years ago respectively. It's feared that adding another relatively inexperienced striker could exacerbate the problems which Amorim is already facing.
That's why former United midfielder Darren Gibson believes that 'established striker' Osimhen would be a better option. "Honestly? I don't think Liam Delap is an upgrade on Zirkzee or Hojlund," Gibson told AceOdds.com. "They're both so young and they've come in at a difficult time.
"Normally young strikers would have a more experienced striker to learn from and bounce off them. If United had bought Harry Kane two summers ago I think Hojlund or Zirkzee would be different players learning from him.
"I don't mean to take anything away from Delap but I don't think he's an upgrade. Rio [Ferdinand] spoke about the pressure at United recently and how players don't realise how difficult it is.
"Right now Delap is at Ipswich and there's not much pressure on him. He's playing with freedom but it's different at United. They need an established striker.
"Victor Osimhen would be my top target. He scores goals and he's more experienced. He can teach the younger lads."
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Osimhen is set to be available this summer after a goal-laden loan spell with Galatasaray. The 26-year-old had a falling out with parent club Napoli after firing them to the Serie A title in 2023.
In Turkey, Osimhen has scored 36 goals in 40 games so far. Gala have already won a league and cup double this term, and they'll face Istanbul Basaksehir on Friday looking to extend their 11-point gap to second-place Fenerbahce.
Osimhen's future is a major talking point in Istanbul, with Premier League rivals Chelsea, Saudi Arabian champions Al-Hilal and Italian giants Juventus linked alongside United. The Napoli star has remained tight-lipped on his future, last addressing the topic in February.
"I don't know [about the future], to be honest," Osimhen admitted. "A few months ago, nobody ever thought I would come to Galatasaray, despite how big of a club they are.
"I live for the moment. [As] for what's going to happen in the summer, I don't know, but I want everyone to understand something: I really love this club so much. I love the fans, I love everyone associated with this club, from the president down to the coaching staff."