Chelsea transfer news: Newcastle push for Liam Delap in surprise £40m swoop
Chelsea transfer news: Newcastle United are moving quickly to lock down a deal for Chelsea forward Liam Delap before the new Premier League campaign kicks off. Eddie Howe needs depth up front. He wants a specific profile to rotate into his frontline, and the England youth international provides the ideal profile. According to the Daily Mail, the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge is driving a hard bargain. They want £40 million to let the 23-year-old leave permanently.
It is a sudden twist in the summer window. Squads are locking in their shapes right now, just as pre-season training gets underway across the country. Tyneside scouts see untapped potential in the young striker, despite a tough run of form recently. Negotiations are already happening behind the scenes. Chelsea seem perfectly happy to sit at the negotiating table if the money is right.
The Stamford Bridge perspective
Xabi Alonso takes the wheel in west London on July 1. He inherits a messy, bloated squad and a mountain of unresolved transfer briefs.
Frankly, Chelsea would be mad to turn down St James’ Park here. Think about it. They paid Ipswich Town £30 million for Delap last summer. The return? A solitary league goal in 28 appearances. Grim reading, that. Now, somehow, the sporting directors have a chance to actually turn a profit on a player who completely misfired.
Selling makes total sense. It creates instant wiggle room with financial fair play regulations. Clearing his wages frees up the runway to go after elite, established focal points. Dusan Vlahovic is floating out there as a free agent, for example.
Holding out for the full £40 million is smart posturing from Chelsea. Newcastle have deep pockets; everyone knows it. A deal probably gets struck closer to £35 million upfront, wrapped up with some clever performance-related add-ons.
Read: Right decision? Chelsea have made their final decision on whether to sign £45m
The lad apparently wants to stay and prove himself to Alonso. Fair enough. But reality hurts. Nicolas Jackson is returning from his loan spell, completely blocking any path to regular minutes. A clean break serves everyone. Howe gets his project player, and Chelsea fund their next chaotic spending spree.
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