Newcastle United tried to sign Liam Delap last summer before he joined Chelsea for £30million.
Newcastle United are reportedly considering a fresh attempt to sign Chelsea striker Liam Delap.
Eddie Howe targeted the 23-year-old last year following Ipswich Town’s relegation. Due to dropping down a division, Delap was available for a cut-price £30million.
Newcastle identified the Manchester City academy product as a potential target, with Callum Wilson set to leave and Alexander Isak - although not publicly known at the time - angling for an exit. However, Chelsea soon stormed ahead of the Magpies in the race - dealing Howe one of his first blows in the window.
A brutal summer ensued, with the Blues also gazumping Newcastle to sign Joao Pedro. Toon chiefs failed in further attempts to sign Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko before buying Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa to fill the void up front.
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Liam Delap’s demise at Chelsea
A mixture of poor form and injuries has resulted in a frustrating season for Delap at Chelsea. He has only completed 90 minutes for the Blues twice, scoring two goals in 32 games across all competitions.
Pedro, on the other hand, has proven to be a hit. There have already been suggestions that Chelsea could offload Delap this summer - with Newcastle on red alert.
According to talkSPORT, the Magpies are keeping tabs on the situation. It is understood that Newcastle remain in the market for a striker as Woltemade and Wissa have both underwhelmed.
Eddie Howe rues difficult summer
Howe once again highlighted a difficult window, PSR struggles and the Isak saga following the bitter Tyne-Wear derby defeat to Sunderland. He told reporters: "The rules have made it very difficult to have momentum to go with the speed it (the club) initially went with. I don't know a way we can beat that system.
“We have to follow the rules that are set. The club desperately want to be ambitious but there is a limit to what we can spend. That has a knock on effect on everything we do. To not recruit for that many windows, I don't know a team that would not suffer from that.
“We certainly have, and then losing Alexander Isak last summer was a considerable blow. But again we can't feel sorry for ourselves and use excuses. We have to find a way to be successful despite all of those things. But with that there has to be an understanding of the type of conditions we are under."
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