According to insider reports, the links between Chelsea and striker Liam Delap are growing stronger every week. The Ipswich Town forward has been on Chelsea’s radar all season according to reports and there are strong indications that the Blues will pursue him hard this summer.
Insider Ben Jacobs spoke to GIVEMESPORT about the connection and said that Chelsea are “optimistic” about the situation and they are monitoring Benjamin Sesko as well. Jacobs full comments are here, as quoted on GIVEMESPORT:
"“I think at this stage, Chelsea are front-runners for Liam Delap, and the expectation is that whether Ipswich go down or stay up, he will likely leave this summer. Chelsea are optimistic about Liam Delap, but also have [Benjamin] Sekso on their list. And Manchester United have looked at both of those players, but could well miss out on each of them.”"Ben Jacobs on Liam Delap
Delap is a Manchester City Academy product that has been on loan to several Championship clubs from 2022 to 2024 before making a permanent switch to Ipswich Town in July 2024. He has a decent goalscoring record at clubs like Hull City and Stoke City with 11 goals in 55 appearances but with many coming as a substitute.
The English striker has been better at Ipswich this season with 10 goals and 2 assists in 27 appearances with all of his statistics coming in his 25 Premier League appearances. We can’t judge him too harshly as Ipswich is currently 18th in the league table and have scored just 24 goals in 26 matches.
The hope is that a player like him can start banging in goals once he is surrounded by world class talent like he would be at Chelsea. At just 22 years old, he is the right age for this ownership group and the fact that he is English is a bonus as he would count as a homegrown player. That might make him a tad more expensive but Ipswich could be looking to cash in to soften the blow of being relegated after just one season back in the top flight.
Admittedly, Delap would not be the most exciting signing for Chelsea fans considering his relatively low goal totals and the fans’ thirst for a proven striker to lead the line for the Blues. What he does bring however is an alternative to Nico Jackson and 10 goals for a team that is always under siege is a solid return. With the strong links and Ipswich likely being relegated, this transfer makes more and more sense as time passes and we may be seeing Delap in a different shade of blue next season.