Striker Liam Delap has reportedly made a decision regarding his future, opting to join Chelsea in the upcoming summer transfer window. This comes after intense speculation and links to various other Premier League clubs.
The player, identified as being at Ipswich Town (note: the original text contains conflicting information regarding his club and the league he played in last season, referencing a £20m transfer and relegation from the Premier League; this rewrite adheres to the provided text`s claims), has a reported £30 million release clause. He was granted permission last week to explore potential transfer options following his club`s relegation.
Several top clubs, including Everton, Manchester United, and Newcastle United, were said to have shown interest in the 22-year-old forward. However, it now appears that Stamford Bridge is his preferred destination.
Delap Prefers Chelsea Move, According to Reports
This significant development is reported by David Ornstein of The Athletic, who states that Delap`s clear “preference” is to move to Chelsea.
Other clubs that were pursuing the England youth international, such as Nottingham Forest, AC Milan, and Juventus, are reportedly now aware of his decision to head elsewhere. The next steps involve Chelsea agreeing on personal terms with the player and finalizing the details to meet the terms of his release clause.
Delap had a notable season as a Premier League player following his transfer last summer, scoring 12 goals and providing two assists across 37 appearances. Despite his individual performance, it wasn`t enough to prevent his team (referred to as the “Tractor Boys” in the original text) from being relegated.
Chelsea`s interest in the centre-forward was first reported back in November. At that time, the Blues were reportedly considering bringing him in to provide competition for their current forward, Nicolas Jackson. Jackson finished the Premier League season with ten goals, two fewer than Delap`s twelve, although he netted 13 goals across all competitions for Chelsea.
Despite these reports linking Delap to Chelsea, manager Enzo Maresca previously seemed to dismiss the idea. When questioned about the player last month, Maresca stated that Nicolas Jackson was his “perfect number nine” and the striker the team needed.
“My perfect number nine is exactly Nico Jackson. We already have a number nine,” the Chelsea boss commented. “It’s not summer now. If we can have a copy of Nico, it’s okay. I have said many times, and you can see as well, with Nico we are a better team. Nico is the one we need.”
