Tottenham Hotspur could scupper Manchester United’s hopes of signing one forward target. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
With Ruben Amorim struggling to make do with the crop of players at his disposal this season, fans are expecting a substantial summer window from INEOS in 2025.
Indeed, the Manchester United co-owners have been called upon to grant Amorim the backing required to implement his new system the way he desires.
Barring any late deals in the final days of January, the boss will spend the second half of the campaign trying to salvage something from the club’s torrid season using a squad mostly filled with Erik ten Hag signings – some of which have failed to hit the ground running the way supporters initially hoped.
Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have proven they’re unable to bear the weight of leading United’s frontline between the two of them. And so, for yet another year, United will enter the market at the end of 2024/2025 in search of a prolific striker.
A report earlier this week revealed the United board had compiled a four-man shortlist of targets they believe possess the attacking prowess to transform Amorim’s disjointed frontline. The list includes Premier League talismans Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Liam Delap, as well as Lille’s Jonathan David.
Delap could be subject of a winter approach from struggling Premier League outfit
It’s not the first time this season that Delap’s name has been brought up in conversations regarding United transfers, with David Ornstein even confirming at the back end of last year that they were one of a host of clubs tracking the Manchester City graduate.
Following his stellar start to life at Ipswich Town, Danny Murphy went as far as to say the 21-year-old could eventually ‘emulate’ Harry Kane – making it no surprise he’s attracted new admirers at Tottenham Hotspur.
Amid Ange Postecoglou’s dire run of form with Spurs, he’s had to navigate a lengthy list of detrimental injury setbacks, with summer signing Dominic Solanke most recently joining his sidelined teammates in the treatment room. As such, Daniel Levy’s hand may be forced into pursuing a forward before the window shuts – and Delap has been outlined as an ideal candidate (TeamTalk).
Ipswich, of course, class the eight-goal Englishman as off-limits but will know that they’re likely to lose him anyway if they fail to retain their Premier League status come May.
United will keep their fingers crossed that any potential offers are swiftly rebuffed by the Tractor Boys over the next week-and-a-half to ensure they have a relatively fair run at Delap come the summer.
