It would be a big surprise if Chelsea did not sign a new centre-forward in the summer transfer window.
Right now, the Blues are thought to be looking at several different names, including Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap.
Delap is a target for Chelsea after impressing at Portman Road this season, but he is not the only Premier League striker on their radar it seems.
Centre-forward has been a problem position for Enzo Maresca of late, with Pedro Neto currently playing up front after an injury to Nicolas Jackson.
Chelsea have interest in Brighton’s Joao Pedro
In recent transfer windows, Chelsea have signed the likes of Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella from Brighton & Hove Albion, and it looks like they could try to raid their Premier League rivals again.
According to TBR Football, Chelsea are long-term admirers of Joao Pedro and are keen on the 23-year-old.
Pedro is a forward who has caused the Blues problems in the past, scoring in a 3-2 defeat at Stamford Bridge last season.
Again, Pedro is not the only striker on Chelsea’s shortlist. As well as the Brazilian and Delap, the club are also thought to be interested in Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres.
It has been claimed that Chelsea also have Gyokeres in their sights, with the Sweden international scoring 40 goals in all competitions this season.
Ahead of the summer transfer window, then, Chelsea seem to have their targets for the No.9 position.
How Joao Pedro and Liam Delap compare
Delap is the young Premier League centre-forward everyone is talking about at the moment. But Pedro could easily prove to be a much better signing than the 22-year-old for Chelsea.
First of all, Pedro has been playing in the English top flight longer than Delap, while he is also a more versatile forward, capable of starting on the left or as a second striker, not just as a natural No.9.
In total, the Brighton star has made 85 appearances in the Premier League, whereas his Ipswich counterpart has only racked up 30.
This season, Delap has scored a couple of more goals, but he has played more minutes, while their xG difference is very similar. Ultimately, with the same amount of game time, they would probably be doing the same numbers right now.
| Player | Games | Minutes | Goals | xG | xG difference |
| Joao Pedro | 23 | 1,705 | 8 | 8.48 | -0.48 |
| Liam Delap | 28 | 2,194 | 10 | 10.38 | -0.38 |
Already a Brazil international, Pedro’s ceiling looks higher than Delap’s as well. If Chelsea end up with him instead of the former Manchester City player, fans should not be too disappointed.
But with Ipswich likely to get relegated this season, a deal for Delap will be much easier to do.
