Manchester United have held more discussions internally over a potential summer move for Ipswich striker Liam Delap.

The England Under 21 international has a release clause in the region of £40million if Ipswich are relegated from the Premier League, which makes him more affordable than the likes of Hugo Ekitike, who is valued at closer to £70m by Eintracht Frankfurt.

Delap also has the benefit of Premier League experience having scored 10 times in the top flight for Ipswich this season despite their struggles at the foot of the table.

However, United will face competition from a number of rivals including Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle and his old club Manchester City who have a buyback option on the 22-year-old.

One advantage in their favour is that technical director Jason Wilcox knows Delap well from his time at City’s academy.

A striker is one of United’s priorities in the transfer market this summer, and they will try to fund a deal by offloading Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.

Rashford has a £40m option in his loan deal at Aston Villa, and it’s understood he could join other clubs for a similar fee.

There is an obligation for Chelsea to turn Sancho’s loan into a permanent move worth between £22-25m, although Confidential revealed that the Londoners will face a financial penalty – since confirmed as £5m – if they break that agreement and sign another winger instead.

United would still want to offload Sancho with Borussia Dortmund said to be interested in signing him for a third time to replace Jamie Gittens who, ironically, could end up at Chelsea.

Victor Osimhen, currently on loan at Galatasaray from Napoli, is another striker on United’s radar and that could feasibly involve a swap deal involving Alejandro Garnacho who was linked with the Italian club in January.

OT derby is highly-charged

As if there isn’t already enough rivalry ahead of a Manchester derby, there are plans to throw fuel on the fire before Sunday’s clash at Old Trafford by handing out special edition scarves to highlight the 115 charges levelled at Manchester City.

The verdict on City’s legal battle with the Premier League is said to be imminent, and the mischievous idea is the brainchild of bookmakers Midnite. They have designed 500 red scarves with a bold yellow ‘115’ in the middle which will be distributed to United fans before the game.

A Midnite spokesperson told Confidential: ‘The Manchester derby is one of the biggest fixtures in the Premier League calendar, and with the imminent announcement of Manchester City’s long-awaited court hearing, it could be an even bigger affair than normal.

‘This may well be a historic week in Manchester’s footballing history, and we wanted to create a keepsake for fans in attendance.’

Fergie’s late night

Sir Alex Ferguson has seen plenty of exciting games at Villa Park over the years – Ryan Giggs scoring the winner in an FA Cup semi-final in 1999 among the highlights – and it looked like he’d be treated to another cup classic with the Under 18s on Monday night.

Ferguson sat watching from a hospitality box alongside academy director Nick Cox and one of his former players, Darren Fletcher, as Adam Lawrence’s side went to a penalty shootout with Aston Villa for a chance to reach the FA Youth Cup final.

It wasn’t to be in the end, United losing 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. But for as disappointed as United’s players were, the attendance of Ferguson left its mark on many.

‘It’s amazing to know that Sir Alex is in the stands and there to support the boys and the rest of the fans,’ Lawrence said.

‘It’s not a surprise at this club though, to be honest. When you join this club you quickly appreciate and understand how much the academy is thought of and how much support comes from the people within. It’s really special for the players to experience that.

‘I only knew yesterday (that he was coming) but I was aware. It’s hard because you want the boys to think about these things and think about how special it is, but they have also got to be really focused on the performance and the game.

‘But I think they know how special things like that are and people supporting them, so I think they definitely felt that.’

It was a tough night for the Under 18s, who for the most part found themselves second best on the night with Jaydan Kamason and James Scanlon, who scored United’s only goal of the game, the standouts.

Antony fever grips Seville

Confidential was in Seville over the weekend for the local derby between Real Betis and Sevilla, and it was remarkable to witness just how much Antony fever has gripped the green-and-white half of the city.

Walking around Seville, hundreds were wearing Antony No 7 shirts and the entrance to the Betis gift shop is centred around the on-loan United winger.

A song and dance is made about his introduction by the stadium announcer and Confidential spoke to a number of Real Betis fans who said they found it hard to believe this same player struggled in Manchester.

Antony wasn’t perfect by any means, but a key difference was his head didn’t drop as it so often did after a mistake in England.

The elephant in the room is that Betis likely cannot afford a permanent move. 

Securing Champions League football for the first time in 20 years may help, but their marriage with Antony – which will run for another few weeks at least until the end of the season – is complicated. Sources at the club have expressed a preference for another loan.

Having a main role and getting 90 minutes on a regular basis has totally uplifted a player who looked to be drained of confidence at Old Trafford. Even if it is to be another loan, that may be a situation that suits all parties.

Antony turned down more lucrative offers to go to Betis, and he’s been repaid with hero-like status by the supporters.

Amorim sees the funny side

It’s been a challenging introduction to English football for Ruben Amorim, to say the least, but United’s head coach has managed to maintain his good humour throughout the opening five months in the job.

Amorim has managed to keep smiling through some of his toughest press conferences and he was certainly in a cheery mood when he greeted reporters at Carrington on Monday to preview the trip to Nottingham Forest.

The 40-year-old punched the air and grinned when it was mentioned that he had not faced the media for two weeks, and then joked with a reporter who mistakenly addressed him as Bruno when beginning a question about United captain Bruno Fernandes.

Amorim’s lighter side is no surprise to his former Benfica teammate Roderick Miranda who remembers the Portuguese midfielder as something of ‘a clown’ from their time together in Lisbon.

Miranda, who is now captain of Melbourne Victory in Australia, revealed the lesser-known side to Amorim in an interview with Flashscore.

‘I never thought he would become a coach,’ says Miranda. ‘Not because of his football skills or his intelligence, but because he was the changing-room clown.

‘He had a really fun personality and was always doing something to make people laugh. When I heard he started as a coach I was a little bit surprised and wondered how the guy I played with could become so serious.

‘But he was a very intelligent player. He could play in many different positions, so maybe that’s why he’s a brilliant coach, because he has such a great understanding of the game.’

Boss stays tuned in

Amorim spent much of the international break relaxing with his family – wife Maria and their two children – but that doesn’t mean to say the United boss switched off completely.

He used the time to do his homework on some of United’s younger players who are likely to play a more important role in the years ahead.

Asked by MUTV on his return to Carrington if he had a good break with the family, Amorim said: ‘Yes, but more than that I had time to watch a lot of our games and to know better the youngsters we have in training with some games that I collect.

‘We had time to think about next season. It was a good break to rest and also to think about the future.’

With United unbeaten in the last seven games aside from exiting the FA Cup on penalties to Fulham, Amorim takes his side to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night hoping to extend a run that has seen the club avoid defeat in the last six league games immediately after an international break, winning four and drawing twice.

Stars gearing up for Asia

United are finalising plans for a post-season tour that is set to see Amorim and his squad leave straight after the final game of the season against Aston Villa at Old Trafford on May 25 and fly to Asia.

The two-game trip is expected to see United return to Kuala Lumpur for the first time since 2009 and Hong Kong for the first time since 2013. Malaysia Airlines will fly the players there and back, and it will be an opportunity for United to showcase their new official airline partner who replaced Aeroflot in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

United will also be able to connect a number of their other partners, such as shirt sponsors Snapdragon, to the Asian market after announcing that their pre-season tour will be in America for the third year in a row.

Protest packs ’em in

A joint protest by a United fans group and FC United of Manchester supporters contributed to the seventh-tier side’s biggest attendance in six years.

The demonstration by the 1958 and FC United – held on the phoenix club’s ‘United United Day’ – saw hundreds of fans of the two teams join forces against the Glazer ownership.

A total of 2,357 fans then attended FC United’s 1-0 defeat by Stockton Town in the Northern Premier League, the 12th highest across the entire non-League pyramid.

‘United United Day was a resounding success,’ an FC United spokesperson told Confidential. ‘It was our largest home attendance for six years and it was great to stand alongside so many like-minded Reds enjoying what we’ve built at FC United over the last 20 years.

‘The 1958 reached out to us less than three weeks ago, and in that time, we’ve forged a strong alliance as fans united against the Glazers.

‘We hope many of those who enjoyed the camaraderie and atmosphere will come back soon, and anyone who couldn’t make it but have seen clips online of how good it was can come along too. All Reds are welcome at FC United.’

New fan plan to fight Glazers

The 1958 are now putting together a unity charter to bring together all the United supporters’ groups in the wake of their joint demonstration with FC United.

FC United are putting their name to the charter and the 1958 hope other groups like the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust will come on board to create a single voice against the way the club is being run by the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

The 1958 have organised a sit-in after Sunday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford to protest over ticket price rises and plans to move season-ticket holders out of the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand to create a VIP dugout club.

Spokesman Steve Crompton said: ‘We fight to protect fan culture which our owners, with each passing season, try to dilute and remove the generational matchgoing fan. On Sunday, we protest by staying in our seat after full time.

‘They are removing fans from seats around the dugout. Fans that have sat together for decades to be replaced with corporate greed.

‘The disgusting stealth price rises next season on concessions is another example of greed and a total disregard of loyal fans. Pricing out up to 7,000 supporters who cannot afford a 50%-plus price rise is shameful.

‘Football is big business but fans should be the lifeblood of all clubs. We are not customers viewed on importance of who can spend the most. Our voices matter. Our community matters. Our club matters. Stadium atmosphere and passion matter too. 

‘Now, more than ever, we must come together to fight for what is right.’

Zirkzee’s wisdom to next gen

Joshua Zirkzee knows a thing or two about dealing with pressure at United after it looked like it was weighing him down earlier in the season.

He looked to be on the brink of tears in December when he was substituted off against Newcastle United in the first half. Since then, however, he has responded magnificently and that made him the best person to turn to when the club recruited players for a skills lab alongside the Manchester United Foundation in recent days.

Kids from United’s partner schools came together at Old Trafford to meet Zirkzee and teammate Jonny Evans to learn about handling pressure and managing the big occasion.

‘Every time we step on the pitch we are being watched,’ Zirkzee told the youngsters. ‘Just control what you can control which is your mentality. Be professional and work hard every day.’

Confidential reported earlier this season how Zirkzee has assumed the role of mentor for 17-year-old academy striker Chido Obi, and that is understood to have been invaluable in the youngster’s integration to the first team.

Leading fan group shuts down 

The leading United fan group behind improving the atmosphere at Old Trafford will shut down from next season after accusing the club of making it ‘impossible’ to continue.

The Red Army, established in 2017, has decided to ‘close as a membership group’ and will not be accepting any new members.

They said United had made their ‘long-term model for creating a genuine, sustainable atmosphere impossible’ by ‘forcing’ the group to take a minimum of 1,500 season tickets from the 2025-26 campaign.

Youth season tickets within the TRA section in the Stretford End will no longer be made available to its members and existing holders in that area of the ground will not be replaced, the group added.

Sources, however, insist United have provided considerable support to the TRA, who were recently invited to meet a first-team player. Confidential also understands the club are disappointed with the group’s decision and United will work with fans who want to relocate to the section on a permanent basis.

United pitch a top target

And just like that Manchester United are top of the table. Not the one they want, granted, but top nonetheless. A new study by SeatPick has revealed that United rank No 1 for pitch invasions across the past five seasons.

There have been 656 pitch invasion arrests during that time in the UK, with United having the most at 23.

West Ham and Everton came in joint-second with 21 arrests, while Manchester City faced 20, putting them fourth.

A large part of United’s problems were caused by the anti-Glazer protest on May 2 where several hundred supporters breached Old Trafford to gain access to the stadium and the pitch.