The future of Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap is one of the big talking points ahead of the summer window, and Chelsea have been at the centre of transfer rumours regarding him.
Even though Ipswich have been relegated this season, Liam Delap has impressed by scoring 12 Premier League goals. The 22-year-old frontman would surely love to sign off for the campaign with more on the final day against West Ham.
It’s been claimed that Chelsea have been working on signing Liam Delap because they think he’s a good fit for them, but there is serious competition from league rivals Manchester United for his signature.
Apparently, Liam Delap may prefer to join Manchester United, but the Blues are still in the race to get him.
It’s been widely reported, including by journalist Fabrizio Romano on X, that Delap has a release clause worth around £30m in his deal now that Ipswich have been relegated.
Chelsea willing to increase wage offer for Liam Delap
Journalist Simon Phillips has claimed via Substack that Chelsea have held fresh discussions with Delap and have scheduled more about a potential move to Stamford Bridge.
He reports that the Blues are now willing to offer a bit more money in wages than they initially offered to try to boost their chances of signing the Ipswich frontman.
If Delap ends up joining Chelsea, he’ll walk into a dressing room with some familiar faces. He played alongside both Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia in Manchester City’s academy and shared a dressing room with Noni Madueke for England’s Under-21s side.
In addition, Blues manager Enzo Maresca previously coached the Ipswich star at Man City. Previous reports claimed that Enzo Maresca is pushing Chelsea to sign Liam Delap.
Liam Delap would be another investment for the future
As much as we rate Delap for a breakout year at Ipswich, we don’t see a great difference between him and Nicolas Jackson. In fact, we would expect the minutes to be shared if they were Chelsea teammates next season.
If Delap joins the Blues, fans should get behind the deal because he’s got immense potential and could be a future England No 9. However, the frustration that supporters may have is that Delap would be another investment for the future, rather than being a signing who’s the finished article.
The striker’s CV highlights that the youngster is still very much on the way up the football ladder.
| Club | Appearances | Goals |
| Ipswich Town | 39 | 12 |
| Hull City | 32 | 8 |
| Stoke City | 23 | 3 |
| Preston North End | 15 | 1 |
| Manchester City | 6 | 1 |
It sounds like Chelsea are pushing hard for Delap after increasing their wage offer, but we do worry it would take him a bit of time before he develops into a 20-goal-a-season striker.
Darren Bent suggested Liam Delap shouldn’t join Chelsea and needs to find a middle ground in his next move.
