Ipswich Town: Fresh Liam Delap transfer twist revealed | OneFootball

Delap is certainly going to leave Portman Road this summer, where to is the question.

Liam Delap's choice of where he wants to move to this summer will hinge on which clubs are playing European football next season, with a decision on his next destination set to be made before the start of this summer's Euro Under-21s Championship.

Who'd have thought two seasons ago that Ipswich's striker would have been one of the most coveted players across Europe heading into this summer window; the suggestion that they'd have been in the Premier League, alone, would've been bonkers enough, but that's the position we find ourselves in.

Some of the biggest teams on the continent are all queuing up and trying to woo Delap into joining them for next season and onwards, including Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle United.

German sides Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig have also reportedly made enquiries about the 22-year-old, whose £30 million relegation release clause is now active following the Tractor Boys' 3-0 defeat to the Magpies on Saturday.

Liam Delap's next club criteria and timeline for exit revealed

Although he will have the pick of the bunch this summer, that pool of potential clubs is set to narrow down for him as he is prioritising playing for a team who will be involved in European competitions next summer, according to Ben Jacobs.

The journalist added that Ipswich's dozen-goal striker is set to wait until the end of the season to see which of the vying suitors meets his requirement of being involved in competitions on the continent for the 2025/26 campaign.

If Man United were to fail to advance to and win the Europa League final - which is their only shot of playing in Europe next season - then they may be taken off of Delap's board entirely.

The same would seemingly go for Chelsea and Newcastle, but their chances of being involved in some European football next season are much higher than United's because of their current league position.

This news would indicate that Ipswich won't know of Delap's plans until the end of May, but Jacobs has also said that his decision is expected before the start of the England under-21s' European tournament, which begins on 11th June, giving the 22-year-old a less than two-week grace period to come to a conclusion on who his next club will be.

Ipswich's main focus should be on identifying Liam Delap's replacement

There should be no real panic at Portman Road. They have known for a while now that the England youth international will be off after just one season with the club this summer.

That £30 million is absolutely guaranteed to come into their account, unless some sort of catastrophic injury occurs between now and mid-June. All Ipswich need to do is have an option lined up to fill his spot in the squad once that release clause is triggered.

Not many people expected Delap to have such an instant impact for Ipswich, but he proved all of those people wrong.

The club's supporters should have full faith in Town to go out and find his successor because they clearly know a great striker prospect when they see one.