The summer transfer window has not even officially opened for business yet and Manchester United have already suffered their first setback. After identifying Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap as their top target to strengthen their attacking options this summer, United look set to miss out on the England Under-21 international to Premier League rivals Chelsea. The Manchester Evening News understands Delap is leaning towards joining the Londoners and wants to get his future resolved ahead of the Under-21 European Championship getting underway on June 11. United had identified Delap, 22, as their priority target and considered him an attainable option amid his £30million release clause that had been triggered following Ipswich's relegation to the Championship. Delap scored 12 goals in his first full season as a top flight player. And as respectable as Delap's return was in a team that secured just four league wins all season, signing a striker after just one season's worth of experience at the highest level did signify a gamble. United took a gamble on Rasmus Hojlund in the 2023 summer transfer window and followed suit with their decision to sign Joshua Zirkzee last summer. Those gambles cost United £108.5m. Of course, the difference with Delap is that he has experience of playing in the Premier League. Nevertheless, he is still raw and yet to prove himself as the seasoned goalscorer United are craving. The problem for United, however, is that they are not blessed with a bottomless pit. Ruben Amorim has already warned they "cannot do much" this summer and chief executive Omar Berrada has said they must be "prudent". Those two admissions alone make it clear why United were attracted to Delap. To make matters worse, United do not have any form of European football to offer to prospective signings for next season. Last Wednesday night's defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final ended their hopes of securing a place back in the Champions League. Having Champions League football within any club's sales pitch is an enormous attraction. It can even be game-changing for some. United continue to be linked with Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres and other established goal-getters, who, had Champions League football been secured, would have been realistic targets. Players like Gyokeres and soon-to-be free agent Jonathan David are now almost guaranteed to go elsewhere. Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta has been linked with United previously and would be a signing a lot of supporters would get behind after scoring 30 Premier League goals since the beginning of last season. However, Palace will compete in the Europa League next season. If prospective targets are going to be driven by the hunger to play in Europe, United are going to face an incredibly difficult challenge this summer, and the news of Delap leaning towards moving to Stamford Bridge has just made that particular task even harder. United need someone who has a proven record at the highest level that can hit the ground running and manage the expectation levels that come with leading the attack for a club of this magnitude. But signing a striker of that profile is looking as though it will be United's toughest test of the summer, meaning this is where the impact of losing in Bilbao could hit them hardest.