Manchester United have made Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap their top target for the summer transfer window, according to reports.
Delap has been superb in a poor Ipswich side this season, scoring 12 goals in 31 Premier League matches.
With Kieran McKenna’s men destined to return to the Championship, Delap is expected to stay in the top flight and could be available for as little as £30million.
This is due to a relegation release clause in his contract – a tempting figure for every Premier League club.
Well, every club except for Arsenal.
This is according to Daily Mail journalist Chris Wheeler, who says the Gunners are ‘understood to be the only Premier League club not chasing him’.
Wheeler claims that Delap ‘heads a list of targets’ at Man United, who are the ‘favourites’ to sign him this summer.
With 19 of the 20 Premier League clubs keen, they ‘face plenty of competition’, while clubs in Spain and Germany are also interested.
The Red Devils have alternative targets, including Wolves’ Matheus Cunha, Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo and RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons and Benjamin Sesko.
All four players are likely to ‘cost in excess of £60million’ and are attracting interest from clubs chasing Champions League qualification.
Qualifying for Europe’s premier competition would be huge for Man United, who can only do so by winning the Europa League.
They currently sit 14th in the Premier League table after 32 games and have a quarter-final second leg against Lyon on Thursday, a week after drawing their first leg 2-2 in France.
Champions League football would help Ruben Amorim’s side generate an extra £100million and would go a long way to helping them sign their top summer targets.
Another way to raise funds is by selling academy graduates, such as Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, whose sales would count as ‘pure profit’.
Also potentially on the move permanently are Antony and Marcus Rashford, who are currently on loan at Real Betis and Champions League quarter-finalists Aston Villa, respectively.
Delap is widely expected to leave Ipswich in the summer and for £30m, United could do a lot worse.
He has yet to make his England debut but has 12 caps for the Under-21 side, scoring three goals.
The 22-year-old was unlucky not to be included in Thomas Tuchel’s first squad last month.