Delap will link up with former England Under-21 team-mates Palmer (top left) and Noni Madueke (bottom right)
Delap has impress with Chelsea’s style of play and feels the club good fit.
He will also have been urged to make the move by several former City academy graduates. He will join at Stamford Bridge – such as Jadon Sancho, Romeo Lavia, Tosin Adarabioyo and Palmer.
Maresca worked with Delap in City’s elite development squad. Chelsea’s key recruiter Joe Shields is also known to have a good relationship with the player. His family, and academy director Glenn van der Kraan is one of several other connections between the two Premier League clubs.
Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna also retains good relations with the Chelsea hierarchy. After being interviewed for their manager’s job last summer.
And he will hope that helps in a potential move for striker Marc Guiu. Who interests Ipswich as a loan replacement for Delap.
The 19-year-old Spaniard scored six goals in 14 appearances for Chelsea this season but has missed most of 2025 with a muscular injury. He returned as a late substitute during the Conference League final in Wroclaw.
As ever with these situations, Manchester United can draw a positive out of a negative.
They felt earlier this week it was coming towards the end game in their pursuit of Delap, and it was between them and Chelsea. Now they know they have lost out.
The positive is, with the decision made, they can move on. That is in stark contrast to 2022, when then manager Erik ten Hag delayed for months in โปรโมชั่นพิเศษจาก UFABET สมัครตอนนี้ รับโบนัสทันที an ultimately fruitless attempt to sign Frenkie de Jong and United ended up panicking at the end of the transfer window and spent £150m on Casemiro and Antony.
But that does not answer the pertinent question: who do they try for now?
Delap fitted their template of an improving, hungry young player, with scope to reach a high standard – at a set fee.
Rasmus Hojlund – who is four days younger than Delap – fitted the same criteria, apart from the last one. And it has not worked out.