Chelsea are interested in signing former Manchester City striker Liam Delap, according to journalist Simon Phillips.
Writing in his Substack column, Phillips reported that the 21-year-old is one of four forwards that the Blues are pursuing along with Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran, RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Porto’s Samu Omorodion.
Delap has impressed since completing his £20m switch from the Cityzens to Ipswich Town in the summer.
The England Under 21 international has racked 3 goals in his first 6 Premier League appearances for the Tractor Boys.
However, despite the interest from Chelsea, City still have a big say in where the player will end up in the future.
2 Clauses were included in Delap’s move to Portman Road
Journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed back in July that the Premier League champions not only have a 20% sell-on clause in their agreement with Ipswich, there is also a buyback option.
It’s not known what fee would be required to bring Delap back to the Etihad, but it does mean they could trump any deal Chelsea make, as long as the striker is willing to return.
The former City striker has earned plaudits for his recent performances
After bagging a brace in the 2-2 draw against Aston Villa last weekend, Delap received some big praise from BBC pundit Glenn Murray. The former Brighton striker said:
“He’s been exceptional. He’s always lively, always on the move. What I like about him is that he’s never really marked, he’s always moving and finding that yard of space.”
“If he keeps putting in performances like that, he might just be the difference between Ipswich being a Premier League team at the end of the season and not.”
“I think if you can hit double figures in a newly-promoted side, that’s a success. If you’re hitting 12, 14, I think that’s exceptional.”
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
