Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
With less than two weeks left to go in the transfer market, Chelsea will be desperate to get rid of the players Xabi Alonso no longer needs – and one of those is striker Liam Delap.
The Blues finally waved goodbye to Benoit Badiashile on Saturday as Chelsea continue their exodus of unneeded talent. 11 major players have now left Chelsea, including five being sold permanently.
Liam Delap price tag at Chelsea
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Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Cucurella, Tyrique George, Andrey Santos and Jimmy-Jay Morgan have been sold. Alejandro Garnacho, Dastan Satpayev, Badiashile, Jesse Derry, Filip Jorgensen and Genesis Antwi on loan.
But plenty more need to go, and one of those is Liam Delap. Having been left out of the squad for the friendly against Sociedad, it is quite clear that Alonso does not see a future for Delap in his Chelsea side.
Chelsea could be about to find selling Liam Delap even harder
Of the clubs interested, The Independent say Delap could end up at Nottingham Forest this summer. Oliver Glasner will certainly want to enter the transfer market after his side lost to Leeds on Saturday.
But according to reporter Rudy Galetti, Nottingham Forest have decided to pursue another striker. They have tabled a whopping £70m bid to sign Brentford’s Brazil international Igor Thiago in a record deal.
Chelsea v Juventus - Pre-Season Friendly
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“Nottingham Forest have submitted a £70m bid for Igor Thiago. The Brazilian striker is under contract with Brentford until 2031, but with growing interest in him, a late-window departure cannot be ruled out.”
With Forest one of the main suitors after Delap, Chelsea’s chances of selling the Englishman could be about to get a whole lot harder, especially as Brentford will find it difficult to turn down such a big bid.
Liam Delap’s other suitors analysed – where could he go?
Nicolas Jackson continues to be pursued by Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid, while Marc Guiu is expected to leave despite his £25m price tag. Napoli are supposedly looking at the Spaniard before the deadline.
Nicolas Jackson's and Liam Delap's stats
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Then there is Emmanuel Emegha, who has emerged as a loan target for Fiorentina. Delap remains the most likely to depart, though Forest’s move for Thiago is a real blow to Chelsea’s chances of cashing in.
Everton are said to be pushing for Delap, and that deal makes sense, with Toffees strikers Beto and Thierno Barry failing to convince since their moves to Merseyside. Leeds supposedly have an interest, too.
But Delap may feel he would prefer a move to Everton given the striker problem in David Moyes’ side. There are still options for Delap, but Forest targeting Thiago hampers Chelsea’s chances of selling Delap.