rewrite this title Man Utd step up interest in Premier League striker wanted by four rivals

Manchester United are reported to have stepped up their interest in Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, who also has several other Premier League suitors.

United are in the market for a centre forward this summer, lacking depth in the position. Rasmus Hojlund has struggled for goals this season, while Joshua Zirkzee has increasingly shown himself to be better suited to one of the slightly deeper ‘number ten’ roles in Ruben Amorim’s system.

All manner of strikers have been linked, including Victor Osimhen, Hugo Ekitike, Dusan Vlahovic and Viktor Gyokeres, the latter of whom is reported to have a ‘friendship pact’ with Amorim that may not be enough to get the prolific Swede to Old Trafford.

Delap has also been among that number, with the Daily Mail now stating that “more discussions” have been held internally about the England Under-21 international.

Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and Newcastle United are all showing interest, but one advantage for the Red Devils is the presence of technical director Jason Wilcox. He was formerly academy director when Delap was coming through the ranks at City.

There have been similar hopes about Wilcox and Southampton winger Tyler Dibling.

Delap, although extremely raw with just a single Premier League season under his belt, has impressed in a struggling Ipswich side. A haul of ten league goals is better than any United player as it stands.

But with Ipswich staring relegation in the face, it is reported that Delap will be available for a fixed £40m release clause, considerably cheaper than the likes of Ekitike or Gyokeres.

United are willing to offload Marcus Rashford for a similar amount, whether it be to loan Aston Villa or someone else. Meanwhile, Jadon Sancho is due to join Chelsea, unless the Blues pay a £5m fee to break the obligation clause in last summer’s loan agreement. But United would still want to permanently sell Sancho if that twist in the saga were to happen.

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