NafisaChelsea believe they have edged out Manchester United in the pursuit of Ipswich Town talent Liam Delap.
The 22-year-old forward enjoyed a breakthrough season with the Tractor Boys and while his 12 Premier League goals weren’t sufficient to prevent the club from going down, his reputation has grown significantly throughout the campaign.
Delap’s release clause fell to just €30million following confirmation of Ipswich’s relegation, with United, Chelsea and Arsenal all vying for his signature.
United have prioritised bringing in a new striker after their dismal performance in front of goal this season, with only Everton and the three relegated sides scoring fewer than them in the league.
Delap has surfaced as their primary target, with the club unlikely to afford a deal for Viktor Gyokeres.
United’s technical director Jason Wilcox is also an avid admirer of the player he once worked with at Manchester City.
Delap also shares a past connection with Chelsea’s current head of recruitment Joe Shields, who was instrumental in the striker’s move from Derby to City in 2019.
Enzo Maresca was Delap’s academy coach at City, with The Sun reporting that the England Under-21 star prefers a reunion with the Italian at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have been keen to bolster their attacking options with Nicolas Jackson their only recognised senior centre forward.
Arsenal are also looking to add another attacking option, with Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko among their list of targets.
While Delap at €30million could be the most economical option for Arsenal and their new sporting director Andre Berta, club icon Ian Wright believes a more experienced signing is necessary.
‘This summer, with Andrea Berta at the helm, we’ll see what he does. I think it’s going to be a massive summer,’ Wright said.
‘What we can’t afford to do it take a chance.
‘You might buy a [Darwin] Nunez or a [Rasmus] Hojlund… I don’t think can Arsenal can afford to pay that much money and they don’t have a return.
‘That’s why it’s so difficult to find that player. Those two players, they played a lot of money for potential and we have to go to that next place. That’s going to cost us.’
Nafisa
