Brighton are reportedly one of five clubs keeping close tabs on Liam Delap’s situation at Chelsea.
The forward finds himself firmly behind Joao Pedro in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge currently, with injuries and a lack of match fitness preventing the striker from truly making his mark so far this season.
Delap has scored just three goals in 29 appearances in all competitions since his £30million move from Ipswich Town over the summer, and doubts are already starting to emerge about the 23-year-old’s long-term future at the club as a result.
Chelsea are scouting a host of other No. 9 options, with Emmanuel Emegha set to join the club from Strasbourg and Nicolas Jackson also expected to return from his loan with Bayern Munich when the campaign concludes.
According to TEAMtalk, Delap is therefore ‘playing for his future’ with the Blues, and his performances in the second half of the campaign will determine whether he will remain at the club.
Manchester United, Everton and Newcastle all pushed to sign the England Under-21 international previously, and they remain among his strongest admirers.
Brighton and Sunderland are also ‘watching’ how the situation unfolds and ready to pounce if Liam Rosenior’s side ultimately decide to sell their striker just 12 months after winning the race to secure his signature.
The Seagulls have a positive relationship with Chelsea, with several players heading to Stamford Bridge in recent years – such as Pedro last summer and Facundo Buonanotte on loan, though the latter has since been recalled and sent to Leeds United.
Brighton will therefore be hoping to be beneficiaries of that connection this time around if a bidding war does break out for Delap, who has previously shown that he has the skillset required to lead the line for a Premier League side.