Chelsea, Man Utd ‘Wait’ for Liam Delap Decision After ‘Agreement Reached’ | OneFootball

Manchester United have supposedly struck an agreement with Ipswich Town to sign Liam Delap, yet are awaiting a final decision from the player amid conflicting reports of Chelsea taking the lead in negotiations.

Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna recently confirmed that Delap has already been in discussions with other clubs as he heads towards a summer exit. Following relegation to the second tier, the England striker is expected to be available for just £30 million ($40.7 million) owing to a clause in his contract.

United have informed Ipswich of their intention to trigger this release clause and are said to have already settled on personal terms with Delap’s agents, according to ESPN. However, the centre-forward is yet to give his seal of approval amid rival offers from a glut of clubs.

The Daily Mail go so far as to claim that Chelsea have even “edged ahead” of United in the race to sign Delap.

Unlike Chelsea, United cannot offer the allure of Champions League football. The Red Devils are thought to have already sealed a move for Wolverhampton Wanderers’ forward Matheus Cunha, removing £62.5 million ($84.7 million) from a rapidly dwindling transfer budget.

Manager Ruben Amorim addressed these diminished resources after the season’s conclusion. “Without Champions League, we also don’t need a big squad, we can control the squad in a better way, but we have a plan that is to bring in some new players, of course, but our big plan is to improve the team that we have and to improve our academy,” the Portuguese boss told reporters ahead of their post-season Asian tour.

“It [United’s spending level] is not going to change so much,” Amorim continued. “Because we have the Financial Fair Play rules, we are not allowed to do much this summer even [if we had qualified for the] Champions League, so we are prepared for that.

“It’s important to stick together. We are going to struggle, it is not going to be everything right away but I see the team improving and that is the most important thing.”