Everton are reportedly the frontrunners to sign Chelsea striker Liam Delap, as per Football Insider.
The 23-year-old started his youth career at Derby County, and after spending ten years there, he joined the Manchester City academy back in 2019. He made his first team debut for the Citizens a year later but struggled to break into Pep Guardiola’s starting line-up.
So, he went out on loan on several occasions to play regularly and develop his career. Eventually, the forward joined Ipswich Town permanently in 2024.
After displaying promising performances at Portman Road Stadium, making 14 goal contributions across all competitions, Delap attracted a lot of attention last summer.
However, since moving to Stamford Bridge, he has struggled to showcase his best this season, with fitness problems being one of the key reasons.
He has played 32 matches in all competitions, with only 13 coming as a starter. The Englishman has made five goal contributions across all tournaments.
Now, Football Insider state that although Delap’s existing deal is set to run until 2031, Chelsea are prepared to cash-in on him this summer following his below-average performances this season.
Delap to Everton
Everton and Newcastle United hold a long-term interest in Delap and are still interested in signing him. However, the Toffees are currently ‘favourites’ to seal the deal ahead of the Magpies.
The Merseyside club decided to reinforce the frontline by purchasing Thierno Barry from Villarreal last summer. However, he has struggled to find his feet in the Premier League yet.
Moreover, David Moyes has Beto as an option to deploy in the No.9 position. However, he hasn’t been able to showcase his best in the English top-flight since joining from Udinese.
The 28-year-old’s existing deal is set to expire at the end of next season. So, Everton might be open to cashing-in on him this summer to avoid losing him for free.
Although Delap, valued at around £28m by Transfermarkt, has struggled at Stamford Bridge, he is a talented player and is still very young. So, he has plenty of time to reach his full potential.
However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the Merseyside club eventually make a concrete approach to secure his services during the offseason.
