Liam Delap has been told to reject any interest in the summer transfer window from Manchester United in favour of a potential move to either Arsenal or West Ham.
The young striker is attracting interest from some of the top sides in Europe, following an excellent debut season in the Premier League under Kieran Mckenna.
Delap swapped the Etihad for Portman Road just last summer, after completing a deal worth an initial £15million with an additional £5m in add-ons from Manchester City. [Sky Sports]
However, with the summer transfer set to open in June, the 22-year-old could be on the move again with Manchester United, Arsenal, Newcastle all being linked with potential moves, while Man City hold a buy-back clause from his Ipswich sale.
Delap should avoid Manchester United transfer in the summer
But speaking live on talkSPORT on Tuesday (8 April), Gabby Agbonlahor said: “[Manchester] United will take him [Delap] over what they have got, he is better than [Rasmus] Højlund and [Joshua] Zirkzee, but I would probably tell him not to go there.
“It’s very negative at the moment, anyone who goes there bar [Bruno] Fernandes has been a disappointment in recent years, I would go to a different club. I would go to Arsenal. I could see him at Arsenal.
“But has he [Delap] done enough yet to warrant a team that is fighting for the Premier League title? I don’t know. Does he need need to take a step in between that, like a West Ham, they need a striker in the summer.
“[Evan] Ferguson is only on loan and West Ham might suit him better, but I do really rate him. He [Delap] is a great finisher, big strong lad, and he can hold his own in the Premier League.”
A summer transfer away from Ipswich looks nailed on for Delap
Football Insider verdict
With Ipswich‘s relegation from the Premier League likely to be confirmed in the next couple of weeks, Delap looks set to be on the move again this summer with an affordable £40m asking price.
Having registered 12 goals and two assists across this term, it is enough to place Delap in the league’s top ten scorers this year.
However, it’s not just his goalscoring ability which caught the eye, as Delap’s willingness to press from the front, hold up the ball and bring teammates into the game make him the perfect focal point of any modern system.
| Delap stats 24/25 |
| Games – 30 |
| Goals – 12 |
| Assists – 2 |
It’s fair to say that the youngster is an upgrade on Ruben Amorim‘s current options in Zirkzee and Højlund, and would also bring qualities to Arsenal’s forward line which they do not possess, especially amid injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.
Couple that with the lack of quality number nine’s in world football at the moment and it could see Delap fast tracked into a traditional top six side.
However, it remains to be seen whether the 22-year-old would be the missing piece of the puzzle for Arsenal in their pursuit of the Premier League title or view his next move as a stepping stone.
Chelsea have also been paying close attention to Delap so the race for his services looks set to be a heated one.
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