Everton are ready to accelerate their interest in Chelsea star Liam Delap this summer, according to Sports Boom.
The Toffees have had a decent summer window so far bringing in Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough, while they have also turned Merlin Rohl and Tyrique George's loan moves permanent as David Moyes looks to strengthen the squad for the new campaign.
But the next priority at the Hill Dickinson Stadium is to strengthen the number nine position after Thierno Barry and Beto both failed to impress, and Delap has emerged as a top target.
Everton to Step Up Delap Talks
Liam Delapvia Reuters
Delap, who has been described as a 'beast', joined Chelsea last summer in a deal worth £30m from Ipswich Town but struggled massively with the step up in level, scoring just two goals in 41 appearances across all competitions.
With Xabi Alonso joining the club as manager, Delap's future at the club has come under question, with Joao Pedro expected to be the first-choice striker, while Nicolas Jackson and Emmanuel Emegha are also fighting for a spot.
Chelsea have also made a move to sign Brighton star Danny Welbeck this summer, pushing Delap even further down the pecking order, and Everton are now ready to take advantage of the situation by stepping up their talks in the coming weeks to get a deal done.
Everton were keen on a deal for Delap last summer before he chose to join Chelsea, but Moyes is understood to still believe there is a top striker with great potential in the 23-year-old, and is keen to revisit a deal.
Chelsea want to recoup as much of the £30m that they spent for any deal, and Everton are hopeful of being able to land him in talks for slightly less, with the promise of regular first-team football hopefully enough to convince the player to make the switch.
Delap to Everton Makes Sense
Liam Delap
Delap showed that he has got some potential to score goals in the Premier League during his spell with Ipswich in 2024/25, where he scored 12 goals in 37 appearances.
Everton are always keen to make improvements, but after finishing 13th in the top-flight last time around they know they have some clear improvements they can make. Having a reliable source of goals will help them to do that, and with regular game time, Delap could be the answer.
A deal will seemingly be relatively easy to do with all parties open to it, and with talks set to step up soon, this is one to keep a close eye on.
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