Rúben Amorim has reportedly already made his decision regarding who Manchester United’s first-choice striker will be if Liam Delap joins the club.
Manchester United are hoping that Liam Delap will join Rúben Amorim’s squad in a £30 million transfer from Ipswich Town next month, with the player said to be leaning toward joining the Old Trafford outfit this summer.
United have struggled for goals this season, with Bruno Fernandes the club’s top scorer with 19 to his name, while the only other players to reach double digits are Rasmus Højlund (10), Alejandro Garnacho (11), and Amad (10).
While Amorim’s defensive line has been hit with significant injury issues, United’s attack has suffered from an overall lack of quality. Marcus Rashford and Antony both left on loan in January, and no replacements were forthcoming.
However, the club are expected to add a number of major additions to Amorim’s front line this summer, with United pushing ahead with a deal for Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Matheus Cunha as well as Delap.
Amorim has decided who the first-choice striker is
While Delap’s £30 million release clause is seen as a bargain transfer across world football, some have pondered as to how Amorim intends to deploy Delap, as the 22-year-old would be competing for the striker position alongside Højlund, who is almost the same age, with the pair being born just four days apart.
Højlund has performed very poorly this season, at one point going on a 99-day stretch without a Premier League goal to his name, while Delap has netted 12 goals in the league this season, despite Ipswich winning just four games.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Amorim has already decided who will be his first-choice striker, with Delap getting the nod to replace Højlund upfront once the 2025/26 campaign kicks off.
Delap is also the club’s “prime target” for the position this summer. United see him as a better long-term investment than forking out at least double his transfer fee for either Victor Osimhen or Viktor Gyökeres.
Højlund likely to stay at United despite exit rumours
Amid Delap’s incoming this summer, Højlund has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford following his two seasons at the club so far.
Signed for £72 million from Atalanta, the young Dane has so far failed to show any consistency, which has led to some of Old Trafford’s faithful losing hope in the striker. Previous reports have stated that Juventus would be interested in taking him on board this summer.
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However, a report from Italy earlier this week has now detailed that the Turin side are turning their attention to signing Osimhen from Napoli as they look for a new first-choice No. 9, which hints that Højlund may be remaining at Old Trafford this coming summer.
United are already set to let go of a number of wide forwards and attacking midfield players, with Rashford and Antony expected to depart while Christian Eriksen will leave once his contract expires.
Therefore, alongside Delap and Cunha, United have been exploring the possibility of signing either Brentford star man Bryan Mbeumo or Bournemouth’s fantastic Antoine Semenyo this window.
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