Liam Delap is a ‘wished man’ and it is ‘no shock’ Man Utd are chasing his providers

Liam Delap is a wanted man. And you don’t have to be a genius to work out why?

Manchester United and Chelsea will find themselves locked in a battle to sign the Ipswich Town striker this summer. While others clubs are expected to join the queue.

That’s because Delap is now maturing into one of the most complete forwards in English football. He ticks a lot of boxes – at the ripe old age of just 22.

Delap ticked one of his own last month, when earning his first call up to the England squad. And he is starting to emerge as the person who might just be able to make a fist of replacing Harry Kane, when the England captain decides to retire from English football.

Delap has terrorised defences this season, in one of the worst teams in the top flight.

Defenders don’t know how to deal with him, because he has that unique style. A whirling bundle of speed, aggression, skill, adventure and selfishness.

He is reminiscent of former Wales and United striker Mark Hughes. In short, a proper handful. His skillset makes him an attractive proposition to United and Chelsea.

Both of these teams have nothing like him in their current sides. And considering he also guarantees goals, his age makes him someone who could mature into a footballer with huge sell-on value.

Don’t miss a thing with football updates!

Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news? Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star Football email newsletter!

From the latest transfer news to breaking stories, get it all in your email inbox.

How do you sign up?

It only takes a matter of seconds.

Simply click on this link, then provide your email address and that’s it, job done. You’ll receive an email with all of the top football stories.

You can also sign up for our sport email, Off the Ball, for all the latest darts, boxing, snooker, F1 stories and more, right here

Someone who would cost £30m this summer, but might be worth four times this in a few years time.

While Chelsea have shown that price tags are no barrier, United need to comply with spending rules and keep the books balanced.

Which means Delap would be a solid and affordable investment, as well as someone who could lead United’s frontline for years to come, providing a focal point when it comes to allowing Ruben Amorim to rebuild his team.

So instead of considering why either of these club should offer Delap the chance to go to that next level, how about considering the reasons not to?

It would speed up the process – because there aren’t any.