Chelsea are ready to pursue Ipswich frontman Liam Delap, who has only just left Manchester City.
The striker was able to enjoy regular playing minutes, after previously only getting sporadic opportunities at Etihad. This season, however, he has scored six goals in 11 games for the Tractor Boys, despite the Premier League's new boys struggling for the most part.
Delap left Manchester in the summer – with the champions including a buy-back clause and a sell-on clause in a deal worth around £20m. The 21-year-old's route to the first team was blocked by the likes of Erling Haaland, but he is now proving himself elsewhere.
The Blues are monitoring his progress ahead of a possible transfer, reports The i. The West Londoners are on the hunt for a new striker after their summer move for Victor Osimhen fell through and Delap is now on their radar.
As they look for a frontman, Chelsea want to look at younger alternatives who can fit more easily into their wage structure and Delap is one of those now on their shortlist.
The Blues were also linked with the Newcastle striker in the summer, but there are plenty of reports that there is confidence in the North East that the Swedish star is happy at the club and that Chelsea have no long-term interest in the player .
The Blues hope Delap can be another example of a young player failing to get the minutes he wants at City before moving elsewhere. Such was the case with Cole Palmer, who moved to the Blues last summer and has become one of the league's best players.
Chelsea's playmaker scored 25 times last season and is now recognized as one of England's best players. The £40 million they paid already represents great value, with some suggesting City were wrong to let him leave.
Guardiola confirmed last season that Palmer himself wanted to leave for a number of years, with the likes of Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne all ahead of him in the pecking order.
“He is an exceptional player. We knew that when he was here,” the City boss said earlier. “He's a nice guy, a shy guy, with a lot of self-confidence, and he plays fantastically well.” The Catalan added: “He asked for two seasons to leave,” Guardiola explained. “I said, 'No, stay'. But he still said, 'No, I want to leave'. What can I say?”
Comments