Liam Delap to Man Utd was '90% done' before Chelsea hijack

Cameron Smith

Updated: 17 Oct 2025 05:25 CDT
3 min read

Liam Delap’s proposed move from Ipswich Town to Manchester United this summer was reportedly “90% done” before Chelsea hijacked the deal.

Article continues under the video

The England striker enjoyed an eye-catching debut campaign at Portman Road and his form for Kieran McKenna’s side attracted the attention of every top Premier League club ahead of the 2025 summer transfer window.

Current ETV

Liam Delap

F (C), AM (R)

Chelsea

Liam Delap

F (C), AM (R)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€18.1M - €22.1M

As exclusively revealed by FootballTransfers back in February, Chelsea identified Delap as their priority centre forward target for this summer, however Man Utd soon overtook the Blues in the race to land his signature.

Ruben Amorim was eager to secure the signing of a new number nine following the woes of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee in 2024-25, and Delap was identified as their top target following Viktor Gyokeres’ decision to prioritise a move to Arsenal.

Delap was expected to become the Red Devils’ marquee centre forward signing this summer and The Daily Mail have now revealed that a move was even “90% done.”

The 22-year-old was on the verge of joining Man Utd after they opted to trigger his €35.5 million (£30m) relegation release clause, however Amorim’s side failed to finalise a deal and Chelsea hijacked the transfer during the pre-Club World Cup window.

© IMAGO - Liam Delap joined Chelsea in June

Man Utd fail to sign Liam Delap

Delap eventually joined Chelsea on 4 June and Man Utd were ultimately forced to sign RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko for a fee of €76.5m in early August.

The Slovenia international has scored two goals in eight games for the Red Devils, while Delap unfortunately suffered a hamstring injury in just his third Premier League appearance for Chelsea.

The Daily Mail also claim that if Delap had been purchased instead of Sesko, it would have freed up funds for Man Utd to complete the signing of a new midfielder.

They were eager to land a replacement for the departed Christian Eriksen, but a move for top target Carlos Baleba failed to materialise due to Brighton & Hove Albion’s asking price of over €115m (£100m).

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•App Store