Manchester United’s pursuit of Liam Delap is now firmly at an end as Chelsea make their new signing official, confirming they beat The Red Devils to their man.
Delap had a standout season this year, registering 12 goals and two assists in 37 Premier League games for Ipswich Town.
Unfortunately, his contributions weren’t enough to keep the side up, seeing them finish in 19th place, set for relegation to the Championship.
However, with the performances Delap gave, it was clear he wouldn’t be heading to the Championship with them as several teams, including Chelsea and United, looked to the young striker.
Ipswich’s relegation also gave Delap a boost in the market, as it triggered a drop in his release clause from £40 million to £30 million, making the signing even more of a bargain.
As the race for Delap entered the final stages, United and Chelsea appeared as favourites, with the striker travelling to Manchester to understand what a move to Old Trafford would look like.
It was clear that United were lining up Delap to be Rasmus Hojlund’s replacement as the first-choice striker at Old Trafford, however it was not to be.
United’s lack of European football next season seemingly proved to be the defining factor, as Chelsea qualified for the Champions League.
Whilst missing out on the young striker felt like a big blow after the win of signing Matheus Cunha from Wolves, Ruben Amorim was defiant that he only wanted players who want to play for United.
The Portuguese manager was firm that if a player’s conditions is European football, then they don’t truly want to play for that club.
As such, The Red Devils have landed Cunha and are on the brink of signing Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford in Amorim’s first summer transfer season at Old Trafford.
