Manchester United transfer move was ’90 per cent done’ before it collapsed, may have cost midfielder

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Manchester United’s transfer window breathed new life into the squad over the summer, and plans evolved as the window went on.

The acquisitions of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens helped to reshape the new-look Manchester United under Ruben Amorim.

Deals for Cunha and Mbeumo were struck early, with United only securing the Sesko and Lammens moves in August.

But where United’s window swung from Plan A to Plan B, was when a proposed move for Liam Delap fell through.

United were chasing Ipswich Town forward Delap, who technical director Jason Wilcox knew and rated highly from their time at Manchester City.

Delap ended up choosing to sign for Chelsea after Manchester United lost the Europa League Final, missing out on European football in 2025-26.

Liam Delap deal was ’90 per cent done’

According to The Mail, Manchester United’s move for Liam Delap was ’90 per cent done’, before he chose to sign with Chelsea.

United had lined up a £30 million move, before he picked Chelsea, where he was able to immediately play in the Club World Cup.

Delap played in three games for Chelsea this season before suffering an injury which kept him out of their game with United. He is still sidelined.

Manchester United eventually struck a deal to sign Benjamin Sesko, spending £66 million on the RB Leipzig forward.

Sesko lacks the Premier League experience of Delap, but he also has Champions League and international experience and could be worth the added investment.

Midfielder move impacted by Delap failure

Manchester United were content to move Bruno Fernandes into a deeper role, and placed the importance of signing a midfielder at the bottom of the priority list.

This was United’s big gamble and it looks to have been a mistake, with the team’s unbalanced midfield exposed as the team’s biggest flaw so far this season.

What we do know is that the extra £36 million spent on Benjamin Sesko instead of Liam Delap gave Manchester United less flexibility late in the window.

This would not have allowed United to sign a top target like Carlos Baleba or Adam Wharton, but there are still a number of useful players the club could have bought with the funds.

Long-term United have ended up better off, with Sesko in, and big moves for a midfielder still to come.

But the real risk is for head coach Ruben Amorim, that he might not last long enough to spend that money, if results take a nosedive.