On deadline day, Manchester United have joined Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, according to a report in The Express.
Last summer, Ipswich paid €18 million to sign Delap from Manchester City, and in just one season, the youngster has made a notable impact under Kieran McKenna. In 23 Premier League appearances, he has scored nine goals and provided two assists.
After a successful loan spell with Hull City, Delap has continued his strong form in the Premier League as well and currently, he has an xG of 7.19 from just 21 shots on target.
Why do Spurs and Manchester United want Liam Delap?
Ange Postecoglou is searching for a new striker after Dominic Solanke’s injury, and in a deadline-day scramble, Daniel Levy is keen to bring in Delap as cover.
Tottenham are already struggling with a long injury list, and with key players such as Solanke and James Maddison sidelined, they are in urgent need of reinforcements. They are dangerously close to the relegation zone and without proper goal-scorers, Spurs might not be able to climb up the ladder.
Meanwhile, Manchester United are facing their own attacking crisis as Hojlund and Zirkzee continue to underperform. The situation has gotten so bad that Ruben Amorim was forced to deploy Kobbie Mainoo as a striker in the Crystal Palace match on Sunday. With neither centre-forward delivering consistently, Amorim is desperate to sign an in-form striker to turn things around.
Will Spurs or Manchester United be able to sign the 21-year-old?
Delap has been a rare bright spark in an otherwise struggling Ipswich Town side, but a deadline-day move seems highly unlikely for two key reasons.
First, Delap’s contract runs until 2029, meaning Ipswich are under no pressure to sell. Although they sit 19th in the Premier League table with just 16 points, they still have a chance to avoid relegation, and McKenna will be reluctant to lose his top scorer at such a crucial stage of the season.
Second, Manchester City hold a €36 million buy-back clause on Delap, and they would happily activate it before allowing him to join a direct rival.
As the transfer window is about to end, both Manchester United and Tottenham are scrambling to find a reliable striker. However, Liam Delap is almost certainly not the answer for either club—at least not this January.