According to reports, Liam Delap, a star for the England Under-21 team, was close to joining Manchester United before having a last-minute change of heart and joining Chelsea instead. It has been claimed that one of the main reasons he chose to join the Blues after being relegated with his last team, Ipswich, was the possibility of playing Champions League games.
United lost to Tottenham in the Europa League final in Bilbao, after coming very close to securing their own Champions League spot. Delap could be the first major name they’ve lost out on because of their European loss, but they’ve managed to get top attacking talent to Old Trafford despite this setback.
According to The Mail, United’s acquisition of Delap was “90% done.” When Ipswich was demoted, a £30 million release clause was activated, and it appeared that Ruben Amorim’s team would sign him until Chelsea intervened.
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According to the same source, United’s main goal was Matheus Cunha, another player who had a release clause that eliminated the need for price wrangling. Although losing out on Delap would have had broader repercussions for the club’s transfer strategy, they were able to secure that deal early on and add Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko to their roster.
Delap quickly established himself with Chelsea, scoring in a Club World Cup group stage triumph over Esperance. However, an injury has delayed his Premier League career, as he has not played since sustaining a hamstring injury against Fulham in August.
However, the match is expected to arrive too early for Delap to participate in. The attacker could return in November after his knee setback, but Chelsea may not risk him until the following month.
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