Before Chelsea take on Real Betis in the Conference League final, their Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United will face off for the Europa League trophy.
It is a game that is likely to be of great interest to Enzo Maresca, as the final result could impact Chelsea‘s transfer plans.
The Blues are expected to bring in a new striker when the transfer window opens this summer.
Chelsea could sign Benjamin Sesko following RB Leipzig’s failure to qualify for European football, but there is also interest in Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap.
Europa League final outcome could decide Liam Delap’s future
Chelsea are very keen on Delap, but they are not the only Premier League club chasing the 22-year-old’s signature.
Manchester United are also targeting Delap, whose future could be decided by the outcome of Wednesday night’s Europa League final.
According to ESPN, if United fail to win the trophy and qualify for the Champions League, Chelsea will strengthen their position in the race to land the Englishman.
With that in mind, while most Chelsea supporters will want to see their London rivals Tottenham lose, Maresca is going to be hoping for a United loss.
Maresca has already confirmed that he wants to bring in a new striker, and the 45-year-old is a huge fan of Delap after working with him at Manchester City.
What Enzo Maresca has said about Liam Delap
Delap has impressed many this season, scoring 12 goals in 36 Premier League appearances, which is not bad for a forward playing for a relegated team.
However, Maresca was already aware of his talent and spoke very highly of him before Chelsea’s 2-0 loss to Ipswich back in December.
When Maresca was asked about Delap, he replied: “Liam is a fantastic player. Also for his age, we spent one year together. I think in that season, he scored 22 or 24 goals.
“This is a very good striker — as I’ve said many times, England are quite lucky because they have very good players, very good strikers, and it is working hard off the ball, on the ball he understands the game and he can score goals. Because of his age, I think he can be an important player for England.”
The two could now reunite at Stamford Bridge, but Maresca may need a favour from Ange Postecoglou if that is to happen.
Again, Chelsea fans will not want to see their London rivals end their trophy drought, but it could actually benefit the Blues.
