It looks like Man City can say goodbye to one of their reported summer transfer targets already, and they have Erling Haaland to thank, or rather to blame.
Manchester City are making some big plans for the summer transfer window. And those plans got into motion on Friday after Kevin De Bruyne announced his Man City departure for the summer, come the end of his contract in June.
It arguably marks the start of what could be a big summer exodus at the Etihad with many more likely to follow De Bruyne out of the Etihad doors, as Pep Guardiola vies to usher in a new and fresher generation of Man City stars.
Across the pitch, Pep has rumoured transfer targets with new names seemingly being linked with possible moves to Man City every day. Though it seems like Pep certainly has his key targets with several names having been linked for some time now.
The likes of Bruno Guimaraes is a top target for Man City. Along Bayer Leverkusen gem Florian Wirtz who Man City have contacted already this season, with regards to replacing De Bruyne at the club.
Liam Delap coy on possible Man City return, says Ben Jacobs
Another name mentioned alongside Man City throughout the campaign is Liam Delap. The former City academy man joined Ipswich Town in a £20million deal last summer and he’s since established himself as one of the Premier League’s most exciting young strikers, with 11 goals and two assists in 29 league fixtures for the Tractor Boys.
Man City have been linked with Delap throughout the season. It’s widely reported that Man City have a buyback clause which GIVEMESPORT say is worth £40million, but they also report now that Delap ‘does not yet have a clear preference’, with Chelsea, Man United, Newcastle United, Red Bull Leipzig, and Bayer Leverkusen among the interested teams.
Furthermore, Ben Jacobs writes that it is unclear whether or not Man City will trigger their buyback clause for Delap, who ‘may be reticent about his minutes given Omar Marmoush has arrived and Erling Haaland is going nowhere’. But Jacobs adds that Man City ‘are certainly monitoring Delap’s situation’.
- READ MORE: Jack Grealish and Toni Kroos react as ‘special’ Kevin De Bruyne announces Man City departure
What Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has said about Liam Delap to Man City
With Ipswich Town sitting in 18th place of the Premier League table and nine points adrift, they look destined for the drop, and destined to lose Delap in the summer.
Man City could well be his next destination, though speaking earlier in the season, Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna denied knowing about Man City’s buyback clause for Delap, telling the press: “It’s not anything I’m aware of or interested in to be honest. I think that’s a question for other people and for (chairman) Mark Ashton.
| 17 | Wolves | 30 | 8 | 5 | 17 | 41 | 58 | -17 | 29 |
| 18 | Ipswich | 30 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 30 | 63 | -33 | 20 |
| 19 | Leicester | 30 | 4 | 5 | 21 | 25 | 67 | -42 | 17 |
| 20 | Southampton | 30 | 2 | 4 | 24 | 22 | 71 | -49 | 10 |
“My full focus is on this season and, with regards to Liam, trying to help him to continue to improve. I know Liam’s full focus is here and trying to help the team.”
With so many reports having stated that Man City do have such a clause, it’s hard to imagine that they actually don’t. But it’s also hard to imagine Delap being keen to re-sign for a club that didn’t give him game time before, and likely wouldn’t now with two world class no.9s in Haaland and Marmoush.
