When it rains, it pours. That's what Chelsea fans must be feeling like right now. At the weekend, they proved a lot of people wrong by defeating Nottingham Forest away from home to secure their place in the Champions League. Then, they went a step further and ended their trophy drought by winning the Conference League. And now, it looks like the Blues have made a breakthrough in their quest to sign a striker.
Chelsea have been linked with quite a few strikers in recent times. Even though Nicolas Jackson scored in the final against Real Betis, he was far from impressive and underlined the need for someone who can lead the line for Enzo Maresca's side.
Enter Liam Delap. The Ipswich Town striker is set to be available for a £30 million transfer fee this summer, thanks to a release clause becoming active in his contract.
It looks like the Blues might be about to take advantage of that. As reported by Ben Jacobs, Chelsea are closing in on a move for Delap after positive talks. Manchester United's lack of European football has weakened their position. Newcastle United and Everton have also held talks, but the player is now leaning towards the London club.
Chelsea close to signing £30m striker over Manchester United
Manchester United were believed to be the favourites to sign Delap not too long ago. So, it looks like the situation has changed since their defeat in the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur.
In many ways, Delap seems like a younger Viktor Gyokeres. He has tremendous physical attributes, a decent scoring record and perhaps most importantly, experience of playing in the Premier League.
Chelsea fans will be hoping that there are no more twists in the Delap saga and the move goes through once the transfer window opens. He is a striker with a ton of upside and is believed to share a friendship with Cole Palmer as well, which can only be a positive.