Transfer rumors, news: Delap to choose Man United over Chelsea

7 hours ago 8

ESPN

May 13, 2025, 05:00 AM ET

Manchester United have moved ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign England under-21 international Liam Delap, while Liverpool have held advanced talks regarding Jeremie Frimpong. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors and gossip from around the globe.

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TRENDING RUMORS

- Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap looks most likely to join Manchester United in the summer, reports talkSPORT. The England under-21 international, who moved to Ipswich from Manchester City last year, is available for just £30 million due to a relegation release clause in his contract. The 22-year-old has scored 12 goals and provided two assists for a team which has struggled all season, and most of the Premier League's top clubs have been considering a move due to the low transfer fee. The report adds that United boss Ruben Amorim sees Delap and Wolves forward Matheus Cunha as key parts of his rebuild, with Rasmus Højlund set to depart.

- Liverpool have already held advanced talks regarding Bayer Leverkusen right-back Jeremie Frimpong, as reported by Florian Plettenberg, who adds that he is one of the Reds' top options to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold. Frimpong is planning to leave Die Werkself this summer, and the 24-year-old has a €35m to €40m release clause.

- Bayern Munich are pushing ahead with negotiations to sign Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz and centre-back Jonathan Tah, as reported by Sky Sports Deutschland. The Bavarians are in direct contact with Leverkusen and want to sign Wirtz before the FIFA Club World Cup, but Die Werkself are demanding €150 million for the 22-year-old, with €120m to €130m to be fixed. There have also been concrete negotiations with Tah, who will be a free agent this summer.

- Xabi Alonso will play with a front two of Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior at Real Madrid next season, Cadena SER claims, meaning fewer minutes for Rodrygo, who could leave the club. Los Blancos will tell Rodrygo that his role is set to change, which might speed up a departure. Madrid would also like to sign AFC Bournemouth's Dean Huijsen at centre-back and are "optimistic" about completing a deal, and also want to sign a left-back, with Benfica's Álvaro Carreras and Bayer Leverkusen's Alejandro Grimaldo both mentioned. Calciomercato links AC Milan left-back Theo Hernández with a return to Real Madrid.

- Manchester City will make a move to sign AC Milan central midfielder Tijjani Reijnders but the Serie A club are set to demand a fee in excess of £57m to break their record transfer, when Kaka moved to Real Madrid. The 26-year-old Reijnders, who plays a holding role, has 22 caps for Netherlands. The report adds that Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White is another potential option, but Reijnders is preferred.

EXPERT TAKE

ESPN's Sam Tighe explores why clubs want Ipswich Town's Liam Delap.

The step from the Championship up to the Premier League has seemingly proven too much for much of Ipswich Town's squad, but Liam Delap has taken to this level with ease.

Despite playing for a team that has understandably struggled to furnish him with consistent chances -- his open play shots on target of 0.91 per 90 minutes ranks 35th in the division -- he's made the most of what he's been given, scoring 12 goals and overperforming his xG by 2.69.

That he can do a lot with a little in front of goal is probably a good signal for Manchester United, whose lack of creativity or rhythm regularly leaves the forwards short of service. For context, Joshua Zirkzee (0.71 shots on target per 90 mins) and Rasmus Højlund (0.54) make do with even less.

There's also a bruising physicality to Delap -- an ability to trample over defenders and nudge them off centre -- that has led to him playing an important part in how Ipswich move the ball forward. From this perspective, his style looks a bit like that of Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyökeres, whose style Rúben Amorim knows extremely well.

At 22, Delap is the right age profile for a United team clearly rebuilding, but when a guy playing for a relegation candidate is linked to a team which aspires to play possession-dominant football, you must ask if he can make the tactical transition required.

OTHER RUMORS

- Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are all looking into the availability of Lyon forward Rayan Cherki. The 21-year-old is expected to move to the Premier League and will be available for just €22.5m. (Le Parisien)

- Spain midfielder Dani Olmo is on Manchester City's list of summer targets, and the Premier League club will look to take advantage of Barcelona's financial issues. (Relevo)

- Barcelona sporting director Deco will potentially listen to offers for Ronald Araújo, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong. De Jong's future will depend on whether he signs a new contract, while Barça would be willing to let one of Fermín López go to lighten the number of midfielders at the club. Iñaki Peña, Héctor Fort, Pablo Torre, Pau Víctor and Ansu Fati could also be shown the door. (Diario Sport)

- Bayern Munich may be open to offers for central defender Dayot Upamecano. The 26-year-old is about to move into the final year of his contract with no sign of an extension. (Foot Mercato)

- Mason Greenwood could leave Marseille in the summer despite helping the fire the club into the Champions League. The former Manchester United striker has had internal disciplinary issues throughout the season. (RMC Sport)

- Chelsea will hold crunch talks with the representatives of Napoli's Victor Osimhen -- who is on loan at Galatasaray -- to find a compromise regarding his wage demands. Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins and Liam Delap are alternative options. (Football Transfers)

- Napoli are increasingly confident that they will sign Manchester City attacking midfielder Kevin De Bruyne when his contract ends this summer. The same outlet states that negotiations for Lille striker Jonathan David -- who will also be a free agent -- are being slowed by various factors, including a request for a termination clause. (Sky Sports Italia)

- Andrey Santos' performances on loan at Strasbourg from Chelsea have caught Arsenal's attention and the Gunners are the top contenders to sign the midfielder. There will be competition from Paris Saint-Germain, and it isn't certain whether Chelsea will let the 21-year-old Brazilian midfielder leave. (Le 10 Sport)

- Paris Saint-Germain have shown interest in Newcastle United central defender Sven Botman, but the 25-year-old is ready to commit his future to the Magpies (The i paper)

- Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni believes Real Madrid should exercise their option to re-sign Nico Paz from Como. (Siro Lopez)

- Borussia Dortmund are weighing up a move for SC Freiburg winger Ritsu Doan. The 26-year-old Japan international will be available for around €20m (Sky Sports Deutschland)

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