The Liam Delap transfer saga has taken several twists and turns in recent weeks, but it looks like Chelsea will eventually win the race to sign the Ipswich Town striker this summer.
The Blues are one of several clubs linked with a move for Ipswich star Liam Delap, 22, in the transfer rumour mill.
Earlier in May, reports claimed that Delap was interested in joining Manchester United, and Old Trafford officials were confident of securing his services. However, Ruben Amorim’s side lost the Europa League final since then and won’t be playing in any European competition next season.
Enzo Maresca has urged Chelsea to sign Delap, someone he previously coached in Manchester City’s academy. It now looks like the Blues head coach will get his wish, too.
Two key reasons Liam Delap has picked Chelsea
According to The i Paper, Delap is favouring a move to Chelsea despite interest from Man Utd, Newcastle United and Everton, partly because of the lure of Champions League football.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano reports via X that Delap is on his way to Chelsea because they’ve triggered his £30m release clause.
Apparently, Maresca’s impact and Champions League football next season are two key reasons why the 22-year-old has picked Stamford Bridge.
Even though Delap fits into the mould of another youngster with room to develop, it’s definitely positive that the club are on the verge of signing someone the manager wants. Hopefully, the centre-forward can fulfil his potential in Maresca’s new-look Chelsea side next season.
It’s been claimed that Chelsea’s owners are fully backing Maresca and include him in the club’s transfer strategy.
Maresca continued to mention Delap in internal meetings throughout the season at Chelsea, so we suspect he will be delighted that the English rising star has chosen to join them over the likes of Man Utd.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 37 | 12 | 2 |
Without a doubt, Chelsea need two or three important first-team players to join them this summer to strengthen the squad.
It was fantastic that the Blues wrapped up fourth position on the final day of the Premier League, securing Champions League qualification for next year. It does mean that the 2025/26 campaign will be a little trickier, though.
Maresca did a superb job this season heavily rotating between domestic and cup competitions, especially with promoting so many youngsters from the academy. The main difference next season is that Chelsea will be competing against Europe’s best clubs in the Champions League compared to the Conference League this year, so it will be a lot harder to rotate.
In terms of Chelsea’s striker position, we love the idea of Delap and Nicolas Jackson fighting it out for the starting role each week.
