Chelsea have confirmed £30 million to sign 22-year-old England centre-forward Liam Delap, with United's top target being once again cut off by the Blues, the last time being Amorim's Portuguese sporting favourite Kunda. Delap, who scored 12 goals last season, has already booked a medical to join Stamford Bridge as soon as this week. Delap is looking to settle his future ahead of the start of the European Under-21 Championship, where he will represent England.
Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the move with his signature 'Here we go'. 'Delap joins Chelsea, here we come! An agreement has been reached and the £30 million liquidated damages clause will be activated." Fabrizio Romano also explained why Lop chose the Blues over Manchester United, saying: "Manchester City did not use the buy-back clause, Lop accepted Chelsea's offer, long-term contract, Enzo Maresca's influence and Champions League football were key, so Dellop chose to join Chelsea."
According to Fabrizio Romano, Delap's conversation with Chelsea boss Maresca was one of the key factors in his choice to move to the club, having worked together in the Manchester City youth system. Chelsea are set to sign him within 24 hours and Ipswich have already given him permission to travel to Stamford Bridge for a medical check-up. Under the terms of last year's £20 million sale of Delap, Manchester City will receive a 30 per cent transfer split.
Other factors contributing to Delap's move to Chelsea include the £100 million in potential income added by the latter's Champions League qualification, and their participation in the Club World Cup next month, which could be a huge fortune. Meanwhile, Ipswich want to sign Chelsea striker Mark Gieu on loan as a replacement for Delap.
Manchester United's absence of Delap, nicknamed the 'new Kane', may not be a major blow to manager Amorim. Because he's always wanted a new established no.9, but Delap is a few days younger than United's existing £72 million centre-forward, Hojlund! Delap is a promising centre-forward with great physicality and attitude, but may not be the scoring scorer the Reds desperately need.
However, Manchester United owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS team do see Delap as the first choice for buying a centre-forward in the summer window, as he is cheap and his weekly salary requirements are not outrageous. Without the young England striker, Rajue may have to spend more money on a new striker.
Unless United can snap up Ligue 1 Lille striker Jonathan David, whose contract is about to expire and can be transferred for free. Of course, the free transfer fee is just a transfer fee, and the new owner still has to pay a signing fee of 15 million euros plus an annual salary of 9 million euros in exchange for the 25-year-old to join.
David made 232 appearances and scored 109 goals in his five years at Lille, making him one of the most consistent goalscorers in European football. Manchester United have also been rumored with it before, but it seems that there is no follow-up. Davy has scored seven goals in 10 Champions League games this season and will be keen to continue playing in Europe next season, something the Red Devils are known to not qualify. With Napoli, Liverpool, Newcastle United and even Barcelona all linked to it, it may be difficult for Amorim's side to attract Davy.
If United are looking to opt for a new centre-forward within the Premier League, there could be two players suitable, including Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta and Brentford's Joana Savi, both of whom will be expensive, with a possible price tag of around £50 million.
The 28-year-old has scored 19 Premier League goals this season, filling the void left by Ivan Toney's move to the Saudi Arabian Professional League. He is sixth in the Premier League scorer list behind Mohamed Salah, Isak, Haaland, Chris Wood and team-mate Mbeumo. Not only that, but Wissa also scored 12 goals last season, showing his consistency.
Visa, who is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has a contract with Brentford that expires in 2026, but the team can automatically renew it for another year. They will certainly do so to secure a higher fetch for the striker, as Visa is likely to be a target for many clubs this summer.
Crystal Palace centre-forward Mateta, who is half a hometown of Wissa, has scored 17 goals in all competitions, 14 of which came in the Premier League, and has been linked with a move to Manchester United in the middle of the season. Since landing in the Premier League in January 2021, Mateta has made great progress, scoring 16 goals last season and 14 this season. His contract with London Eagles expires in 2027 and his familiarity with the characteristics of the 343 formation could appeal to Amorim.
However, there are doubts as to whether United will be able to attract Mateta, who is an FA Cup winner and will be able to play in the Europa League next season, and Mateta may not necessarily leave in the summer. Not being able to play in European football is a huge blow to Manchester United's recruitment, although both Amorim and Ten Hag have insisted that the Red Devils are still attractive world-class giants and that stars want to play for them.
Idealists among Manchester United fans may still be dreaming of Sporting Portugal's Swedish striker Djekereish. But realistically speaking, even the center forward of the relegation team Ipswich did not choose the Red Devils, hoping that Dzekereish would reject the olive branch extended by Arsenal and other giants, and to join Amorim is almost just a dream.
However, there is one top scorer who really doesn't care about Champions League qualification, and that is 26-year-old Nigerian striker Osimhen. This season, Osimhen is on loan from Napoli to Turkish Super League champions Galatasaray, where he has scored 36 goals and provided eight assists in 40 appearances.
Osimhen has already proven his adaptability in Ligue 1, Serie A and the Turkish Super League, and fits Amorim's tactical needs in terms of age and technical style. There are rumors that although Osimhen's liquidated damages are 75 million euros, it can be negotiated with Napoli and Physique for 40 million euros, plus an exchange for Hojlund or Zirkze!
However, there are two major hurdles for United to bring in Osimhen. The first is his £400,000-a-week wage demand, which could become a dressing room hazard and undermine the wage structure that Rajue wants to revamp. Osimhen is 100 per cent not going to accept a pay cut, which was the biggest reason why his move to Chelsea last season ultimately failed. Second, Saudi giants Riyadh Crescent have approached Osimhen and are willing to meet all his conditions and offer him a lucrative three-year contract to join the club in the Club World Cup. Manchester United is in a race against time, and it is not easy to compete with the oil financiers to rob the greedy people.