Chelsea supporters will be anxious to find out if Liam Delap will join them from Ipswich Town this summer.
Even though Ipswich have been relegated from the Premier League this season, Liam Delap has stood out for all the right reasons.
The young English striker has scored 12 league goals in a struggling team this campaign, so it’s no surprise he’s received transfer links to the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United.
Chelsea admire five different strikers ahead of the summer transfer window, including Delap. Incidentally, the 22-year-old frontman previously worked with Blues head coach Enzo Maresca in Manchester City’s academy.
It was reported in April that Chelsea and Manchester United like Liam Delap, and his aim is to continue playing Premier League football.
Liam Delap would prefer to join Manchester United
Journalist Ben Jacobs reports that Delap is “quite keen” on a move to Old Trafford and a potential return to the city of Manchester. It could give them an advantage over the Blues in this summer’s transfer battle for the centre-forward.
When asked about Chelsea’s potential striker targets, Jacobs told the London Is Blue podcast: “There’s a few names on the shortlist… The names that I’m hearing are Ipswich’s Liam Delap; competition there: Manchester United. I am told that the bad news for Chelsea may be if Manchester Utd win the Europa League, Delap is quite keen on United. They are ready to pay that £30m clause. United sources say they don’t need outgoings.
“It’s not to say that Delap doesn’t appreciate the Chelsea pitch – he’s very well known to people like Enzo Maresca and Joe Shields – it’s more that Delap is quite intent on going back to the North East if he can. That means Manchester United might have an advantage away from the football pitch. United are quite confident there, but it’s certainly not to say that Chelsea are out of the race.”
Enzo Maresca wants Chelsea to sign Liam Delap so he can start working with him again, but Man Utd could be in a great position if they decide to activate his £30m relegation clause in the summer.
As it stands, it’s unclear whether either club will be playing Champions League football next season.
The Blues occupy a spot in the Premier League’s top five positions and have two games left to stay there for Champions League qualification. Meanwhile, Man Utd’s only route into Europe’s elite club competition is to win the Conference League against Tottenham next Wednesday.
Chelsea think Liam Delap can follow Cole Palmer trajectory
Previous reports claimed that Chelsea think Liam Delap can emulate Cole Palmer by emerging into a superstar if he moves to Stamford Bridge.
Unlike Palmer before his move to the Blues, Delap has experienced a full season of playing regular first-team football in the Premier League every single week.
| Appearances (Starts) | Goals | Assists | Shots | Shots on target | Chances created | Pass accuracy | Yellow cards | Red cards |
| 35 (32) | 12 | 2 | 67 | 32 | 21 | 61.9% | 11 | 0 |
It’s pretty evident to us that he’s far too good to be playing in the Championship next season. We believe he’s got a very bright future ahead of him because he ticks so many boxes both physically and technically as a No 9, too.
The main concern would be whether or not he’s ready to lead the line every week for a club the size of Chelsea.
