Manchester United will not play European football in their 2025/26 campaign after losing to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final earlier this month.
The only chance to secure Champions League football next season was to beat the Spurs in Bilbao due to their low Premier League status.
United don’t have a busy schedule to deal with European matches, so they can spin it positively, but it could affect the club’s business during the summer transfer period.
Manchester United reportedly gave a face-to-face talk with Ipswichtown centre forward Liam Dellup earlier this month, but he is currently set to sign Chelsea.
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Enzo Maresca’s part is about to sign the England U21 International for a fee of £30 million thanks to the demotion clause in its contract with the Tractor Boys.
The Italian journalist added that Champions League football is a key part of his decision to join the Blues.
Why is missing Liam Dellup a blow for men?
Manchester United missed a deal to sign Ipswichtown, centre-forward to Ipswichtown ahead of Chelsea, is a blow as it could have been an interesting addition to Reuben Amorim’s team in the summer transfer window.
The former Manchester City striker joined the Tractor Boys last year and enjoyed an impressive debut season in the Premier League despite the team returning to the championship.
Delap scored 12 goals on Ipswich’s 32 starts on the top flight, with Bruno Fernandez finishing at the end of the year with just eight strikes as Manchester United’s top scorer.
The 22-year-old Marksman will have arrived at Old Trafford as an upgrade to Amorim’s current first-choice number 9, Rasmus Hoilund, based on their respective performances in the Premier League this quarter.
24/25 Premier League | Liam Dellup | Rasmus Hojlund |
---|---|---|
exterior | 37 | 32 |
xg | 9.34 | 5.24 |
the goal | 12 | 4 |
Conversion rate | 18% | 13% |
A big opportunity has been created | 3 | 4 |
assist | 2 | 0 |
Statistics via Sofascore |
As you can see from the table above, Delap had a much more impressive season as a scorer on his side. With Ipswich being kicked out of the league, he accumulated more XG and much more goals despite playing on the worse side.
To miss him is a blow, as these statistics suggest that he has improved United’s team to provide a bigger target threat at the top of the pitch compared to Hozilund.
Unfortunately, failing to land Champions League football ended Dellup’s pursuit, but the Red Devils reportedly see a forward who could now be even better than the Ipswich star.
We aim to cooperate with Premier League forwards
Manchester United are ready to pursue a deal to sign Brentford attacker Brian Mbeumo over the upcoming summer transfer period, according to Givemesport.
The report claims it is preparing to target Cameroon International in the coming weeks after it was revealed that it was intended to miss out on Dellup to Chelsea.
Brentford adds that he is cherishing the front of his left foot this summer with a fee of around £60 million. This means that the club will be planning on paying for Delap to make a deal for him.
Givemesport also makes it clear that Mbeumo is aware of Manchester United’s interest, but the move is not enough for players to make a final decision about his future.
The outlet says United are willing to pay a £60 million price tag if they feel it has an advantage over something like Newcastle United, who is not sure if they’ll pay that much for the Brentford star.
Arsenal is also said to be paying attention to his situation heading towards the summer transfer window, but Magpies appear to be the biggest competition for his services.
Why should a man sign Brian Mbeumo?
Red Devils could be better than Amorim’s Delap, so by paying a £60 million ask price, they will have to plummet to sign the left footed star ahead of Newcastle.
One of the biggest question marks looming over the Ipswich star is whether the 2024/25 campaign was just a flash of bread. It was his first season in the Premier League, and he never scored more than eight goals in a single championship season in his previous career, lending with Preston, Stoke and Hal.
Mbeumo has no same concerns as he has proven himself a highly capable Premier League performer over many seasons at Brentford.
The 25-year-old star has played on top flights since the start of the 2021/22 campaign, following the team’s promotion from the championship, bringing enough quality in the final third since.
After just four goals and seven assists return in his first season in the Premier League against Brentford, Mbeumo improved his production as a threat to the bees’ scoring.
Premier League career | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Brian Mbemo | 21/22 | 22/23 | 23/24 | 24/25 |
exterior | 35 | 38 | twenty five | 38 |
xg | n/a | 9.77 | 9.81 | 12.26 |
the goal | 4 | 9 | 9 | 20 |
A big opportunity will be created | 4 | 14 | 6 | 17 |
assist | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 |
Statistics via Sofascore |
As you can see in the table above, the £60 million rating has consistently provided goals and support at an impressive speed over the last three seasons, scoring more goals than United’s top scorers in all three conditions this year.
Mbeumo, once praised as “unplayable” by manager Thomas Frank, also scored five goals and provided five assists in the Premier League in the 2024/25 campaign, over Delap.
This suggests that the Brentford star could be a better signature than the England U21 International for several reasons. He is a proven amount at the Premier League level, suggesting that he could deliver even more quality in the final third as both a scorer and a goal creator.
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So Mbeumo may be worth the £30 million that United will have to pay to sign him this summer. So they should move forward to snap him before Newcastle.