“I know…” – Man United & Chelsea eyeing striker transfer as manager addresses his situation | OneFootball

Manchester United, Chelsea and Juventus are reportedly among the clubs interested in a potential transfer deal for Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap.

The 21-year-old has really caught the eye in the Premier League this season, having previously struggled to make it into the Manchester City first-team earlier in his career.

It now seems clear that Delap is on his way back to the top, with the Daily Mirror claiming that Man Utd, Chelsea and Juve are monitoring his situation at Portman Road.

The report also quotes Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna as responding to rumours about Delap’s future, while sources have recently informed CaughtOffside that clubs like Arsenal, Newcastle United and Aston Villa could also be teams to watch in the race for the England Under-21 international.

Could Liam Delap be set for a big transfer away from Ipswich Town?

Discussing Delap’s future, McKenna is quoted by the Mirror as saying: “It’s not anything I’m aware of or interested in to be honest. I think that’s a question for other people and for [chairman] Mark Ashton.

Liam Delap in a pre-game warmup with Ipswich Town (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

“My full focus is on this season and, with regards to Liam, trying to help him to continue to improve. I know Liam’s full focus is here and trying to help the team.

“He’s had a good start to the season, but we have to remember that’s it’s very early stages for him. This is really his first season starting regularly as a number nine. He played off the side a lot of times last year at Hull, played as a wide striker in some earlier Championship loan moves.

“So this is his first season doing it week-in, week-out, maybe doing it two times a week, and he’s doing it at Premier League level. It’s positive that he’s doing well, but it’s really early days. His focus, my focus, our focus is to keep trying to improve.”

As much as Ipswich will want to keep Delap, it’s easy to see why he could be seen as a good option for United right now while Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund are struggling.

Chelsea, meanwhile, might also do well to think about alternatives to Nicolas Jackson, who remains first choice for now, but who still looks a bit inconsistent to be the first choice number 9 for such a big club.