Chelsea officials have held face-to-face Stamford Bridge talks with the representatives of a "monster" player in the last few days, according to a report, with the target keen on a switch to the Blues and set to decide his future after Sunday.
Chelsea set sights on new forward after pivotal Premier League final day
Enzo Maresca's side take on fellow top five contenders Nottingham Forest on the final day of the Premier League season this weekend, and quite a lot is riding on the line for Chelsea.
Chelsea-Premier-League Related
£60m Premier League forward has spoken to friends about joining Chelsea
He's apparently interested.
A win against Nuno Espirito Santo's men would guarantee Chelsea's place in the Champions League draw next season, while seriously boosting the club's summer recruitment drive both financially and in the sense of player-pull.
However, anything less than three points would result in Maresca relying on results elsewhere to go Chelsea's way, with this airtight race for Europe coming as the most dramatic and enthralling we've witnessed in years.
Race for Champions League qualification with one game remaining Points
3. Man City 68
4. Newcastle 66
5. Chelsea 66
6. Aston Villa 66
7. Nottingham Forest 65
The immediate goal for Maresca, following his appointment at Cobham last summer, was to guide Chelsea back into Europe's most prestigious competition. He's now just 90 minutes away from ticking that item off his Chelsea to-do list, with Maresca set for a nervy bit of final day drama over a mouth-watering encounter against Forest at the City Ground.
While Chelsea's boss prepares his side for their most important match of the campaign, the club's transfer chiefs have set their sights on a new striker signing this summer.
Chelsea-Nicolas-Jackson
Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku have scored just two Premier League goals between them this calendar year, emphasizing Maresca's need for a clinical centre-forward if they're to truly reach the next level.
Eintracht Frankfurt starlet Hugo Ekitiké, RB Leipzig ace Benjamin Sesko and Napoli outcast Victor Osimhen are three strikers being considered by Chelsea after their prolific campaigns abroad, but another name who keeps being mentioned is Ipswich Town star Liam Delap.
Ipswich Town's Liam Delap reacts
The Englishman's £30 million release clause after Ipswich's relegation is well documented, and Man City's ex-starlet has produced the goods for an otherwise underwhelming team - scoring 12 Premier League goals this season and counting.
Delap has been called a "monster" by teammates, and he's stood out as Kieran McKenna's shining light throughout 24/25.
Liam Delap keen on joining Chelsea and set for imminent decision
Chelsea have been laying groundwork to sign Delap for months, according to journalist Simon Phillips, with his next destination soon to be determined.
As per another update from the reporter, via his Substack, Delap is keen on joining Chelsea and is set to make a decision after this weekend. His agents also held some talks with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last Friday, alongside fellow suitors Man United, when the two clubs faced off.
"Chelsea laid down a lot of foundations to sign Delap in January, and he is very much open and interested in a move to Stamford Bridge," wrote Phillips.
Nicolas-Jackson-Liam-Delap
"Delap’s reps were at Stamford Bridge on Friday and held talks with United officials. These talks were not seen as positive via our sources. At the time we did not hear that Chelsea had anyone speaking to the reps of Delap. However, we have since heard from another source that Chelsea did actually get to speak with Delap’s reps early on in the evening before the game.
"Chelsea have scheduled more talks with Delap’s reps and the player will make his decision after the weekend."