Ex-Manchester United striker Louis Saka says his former team should not be taking a risk on signing Liam Delap from Ipswich Town this summer.

The 22-year-old is set to become available for £30m at the end of the season due to a release clause in his contract and the Red Devils are one of the frontrunners for his signature, along with Chelsea. However, speaking exclusively to Man U News (courtesy of Mega Dice), Saha said that Delap is not ready to play as first choice No.9 for United:

“It would be extremely dangerous, risky even for United to put all their faith in a youngster like Liam Delap. Even if he’s a quality player, for me it’s a gamble that isn’t worth taking. It’s his first season, where he’s confirming his talent in the Premier League. We definitely can see his quality, and the guy is a very intelligent player for his age, but he’s still learning, and he’s understanding how to cope with certain types of tactics, certain types of pressure, bringing in another youngster like Rasmus, even if he has the advantage of being in the Premier League already, I think it’s a gamble.”

Saha has called on his former club to sign an older striker who can take some of the pressure off some of the younger players like Rasmus Hojlund and Chido Obi:

“When I’m thinking about who United need to lead the line, we need someone with a bit more experience, who has proven pedigree on the Europe stage, a player that has already demonstrated that he is capable of playing without difficulty as the main man at Manchester United. It needs to be a player with experience. It needs to be a player that can handle the pressure of leading the line for a giant club like Manchester United.”

“We need a striker that can be a threat and a solution to help educate and develop the other strikers, the youngsters at the club. They need someone to take the pressure off them. We need someone whose confidence doesn’t drop at all. There aren’t many players like that, but there are definitely a few.”

Delap’s low price makes him a tempting target

One of the motivations for pursuing the former Manchester City player is his price tag. Due to limitations placed on them by the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules, Ruben Amorim’s side are not in a position to pay £60m+ on a new No.9 without players being sold.

Delap has proven in his first season at Ipswich that he can score goals in the Premier League – 12  in total – but Saha is right to suggest it is a big gamble.

Who could Man United target instead?

Many fans feel that the club should pursue a scorer with a proven pedigree – Napoli’s Victor Osimhen or Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres have been proffered as candidates.

However, both forwards would cost between £60m and £65m and, as mentioned already, the Red Devils may need to sell before going after either of them. Over the weekend, it was even suggested that a swap deal involving Marcus Rashford and Ollie Watkins would be considered, but the chances of Aston Villa accepting such an offer are rather low. For that reason, Delap still seems the most realistic option available.

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