Liam Delap has caught the eye of some top Premier League clubs such as Chelsea thanks to his impressive season so far – and TEAMtalk can now reveal the chances of Ipswich letting him go.
Ipswich are fighting to stay in the Premier League but have impressed with their attacking style of play and some of their young squad have caught they eye of some of the country’s biggest sides.
One of those is striker Delap who has had a fantastic first season in the country’s top division. Chelsea are one of the sides who are keeping tabs on his situation and believe he has the ability to become a top EPL player.
However, sources have stated that the Tractor Boys have high hopes he will stay at the club beyond January and help them to stave off relegation and play the rest of the campaign at Portman Road.
They want a strong fee that represents a deal for a top Premier League forward if they are to sell and will have to compensate for a sell-on fee attached to the deal by Manchester City. Delap arrived from the Champions this summer and signed a five-year deal in a £20 million pound move.
There is no doubt that the opportunity to play at the highest level is of interest to the 21-year-old but there will be no disrespect shown to Ipswich and his focus is firmly on scoring goals to help them survive this season.
The Englishman has six goals in 12 games which is very respectable for a striker playing in a relegation threatened side. So much so he has also been noted by the England set up as one of the players who could get a senior cap soon.
Represented by super agency CAA Stellar, there will be no shortage of work done to ensure he gets every opportunity to reach the top of the game. The agency, run by Joshua Barnet, also looks after Robert Sanchez, Ben Chilwell and Lucas Bergstom who are currently playing at Chelsea.
It will be an interesting few months for the young English striker as interest ramps up; it is not only Chelsea who are keen and if he continues to perform at the level he is Ipswich will have no choice but to cash in.
Who has been linked with Liam Delap?
In addition to Chelsea, who have scouted him on multiple occasions this season, Delap has reportedly drawn interest from a number of other Premier League sides.
Man City have a buyback clause for their academy graduate, but are believed to be unlikely to make a move for him (at least so soon after selling him).
Delap has also recently been linked with Arsenal, following on from claims of interest from their north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Manchester United are also now said to be tracking the 21-year-old.
But Ipswich have Delap under contract until 2029 and are eager for him to fulfil at least the first full year of his deal.
Timeline: The rise of Liam Delap
Joined Man City’s academy in 2019 at the age of 16 after 10 years at Derby County, where his dad Rory previously played.
Scored just 18 minutes into his senior debut for City in an EFL Cup win over Bournemouth in September 2021 and made his Premier League bow just three days later.
After a succession of injuries, Delap made his Champions League debut for City at Sporting in February 2022, coming on for Bernardo Silva in a 5-0 win.
Loaned out to Stoke City and then Preston during the 2022/23 season, scoring just four times in 38 appearances combined.
Joined Hull City on loan for the 2023/24 campaign and scored eight times in 32 outings for the Tigers as they finished seventh in the Championship, just outside the play-offs.
Joined newly-promoted Ipswich in a £20million deal from City in July 2024, signing a five-year-old contract at Portman Road.
Scored his first goal for Town in a 1-1 Premier League draw with Fulham on August 31.
Became the first Ipswich player to score a top-flight double in a game since Darren Bent in 2002 when he notched both goals in a 2-2 draw with Aston Villa on September 29.