Chelsea are on the verge of signing Liam Delap from Ipswich Town after winning a hotly contested race to sign the striker ahead of Manchester United.
The 22-year-old joined the Tractor Boys from Manchester City last summer in a £15m deal and although he was unable to save the Suffolk club from relegation, he enjoyed a reputation enhancing campaign.
After scoring 12 goals in 42 appearances, Delap was never likely to drop into The Championship, especially given the £30m relegation clause in his contract.
Chelsea, United and Newcastle were all in the hunt for the England Under-21 international but it is the Blues who have won the race.
According to the BBC, qualification for the Champions League, which Chelsea secured following their win at Nottingham Forest on the final day of the season, proved decisive.
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United, who missed out on Europe altogether as a consequence of losing the Europa League final to Tottenham, must now look elsewhere to bolster their forward line.
A deal to sign Mattheus Cunha from Wolves is in place while United could yet move for Viktor Gyokeres, particularly if Arsenal proceed with a deal to sign RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
Chief executive Omar Berrada says United will balance ‘ambition’ with the need to be ‘prudent’ in the transfer.
The Red Devils are looking to rebuild the side after their worst top-flight season since they were relegated in 1973-74.
That damaging defeat meant United missed out on silverware and Champions League qualification, worth an estimated £100million, and the club have wasted little time trying to improve Ruben Amorim’s side.
Cunha’s move looks set to be first through the door as Wolves granted them permission to schedule a medical for the Brazil international, having met his £62.5m release clause.
It could start a busy summer in terms of incomings and outgoings at Old Trafford, with chief executive Berrada confident about United’s plans.
‘I can’t talk about specifics, but I can say that we’ve been planning for many months now,’ he told MUTV. ‘We were ready for all the different scenarios, so now we know what we need to do.
‘We have a very clear idea of where we need to invest in the squad to improve, so (technical director) Jason (Wilcox), his team, Ruben have been in talks for many months.
‘Now it’s a question of executing that plan and doing it in a way that is prudent but at the same time with ambition.’