Liam Delap is a strong contender to leave Chelsea in the coming weeks.
The 23-year-old has massively struggled in his first season at Stamford Bridge after joining for £30 million from Ipswich Town.
After scoring just one goal in the Premier League from 28 appearances, it is clear Delap is not up to the standard required to lead the Blues' line.
Consequently, ahead of Xabi Alonso's official arrival on July 1, Chelsea are expected to scour the market for a higher quality, and more experienced, centre forward, and that will likely lead to Delap moving on.
Everton take first step toward signing Liam Delap
Everton, along with Newcastle United and Spurs, have been heavily linked with offering Delap a route out of west London, and it seems the former have been the ones to make the first move.
According to a recent report from Sky Sports News, the Toffees are exploring a deal to sign the English forward on loan.
Their interest has intensified amid uncertainty surrounding Thierno Barry, who has been the subject of an enquiry from RB Leipzig.
If the Bundesliga side step up their pursuit of Barry, Everton are likely to push harder for a deal that would see Delap become the Frenchman's direct replacement.
If not Everton then surely somewhere else
It seems harsh to be so critical of Delap after just one season, but it's evident he isn't going to become the type of forward Chelsea need and one Alonso can build his attack around.
He has looked devoid of all confidence and just does not play to the strengths of other key players, such as Cole Palmer, who has already admitted he worked better with Nicolas Jackson.
Although an agreement has yet to be reached between the Blues and Everton for Delap, it would be more surprising if the 23-year-old was still a Chelsea player next season.
He simply has no clear route back to regular first team football, and that has been made even harder following Jackson's return from his loan with Bayern Munich. If Alonso makes a new striker his priority then Delap's time really is up.
During his first year with the Blues, the former Ipswich Town striker, who has five years left on his £100,000 per week contract, scored just two goals and registered four assists in 41 matches in all competitions.
Chelsea have been linked with some big names this summer, including Robert Lewandowski following his decision to leave Barcelona on a free transfer, although it does remains to be seen how serious the club are about making what would be a significant investment in a soon-to-be 38-year-old.
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