Newcastle United fans may well be buoyed in their pursuit of Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap ahead of the coming summer transfer window, according to the Daily Mail - with the striker having a reported £40million release clause inserted into his Tractor Boys contract in the event of relegation from the Premier League.
Delap's strike against Bournemouth on Wednesday evening saw Delap move onto 11 top-flight goals for the campaign, with only 11 players ahead of him in the top goalscorer rankings in the top-flight - and that could tempt the Magpies into a move for him over the summer if Ipswich go down, with the club currently sitting nine points from safety with eight games left to play.
Report: Newcastle Could Activate Delap's £40m Release Clause
The striker has been in fine form throughout the campaign
Liam Delap in action for Ipswich Town
The report from Mail Online states that clubs have held interest in Delap as a result of his strong form in the Premier League this season - with Newcastle being one of those.
Liam Delap's Premier League statistics - Ipswich squad ranking
Stats
Appearances
Goals
Key Passes Per Game
Shots Per Game
Dribbles Per Game
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Delap crucially has a £40million relegation release clause in his contract if Ipswich are to return to the Championship at the first time of asking, and that could tempt clubs into signing the youngster - who has shown time and time again that he is capable of making the step up to the Premier League, being labelled as the 'next Diego Costa' in the process, thanks to his aggressive nature up front.
Alexander Isak has been in superb form for Newcastle this season, but with Callum Wilson's contract set to expire in the summer, Eddie Howe will be keen on signing a new talisman to compete with Isak for minutes, especially with European football on the agenda next season after their League Cup win.
£40million would be a strong outlay for a striker, but depth in quality is needed if Isak is to perform to his best and if the club are to venture into the latter stages of tournaments. That has been seen this season at Aston Villa with Marcus Rashford, Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen all firing in their forward ranks.
Delap's Premier League experience will also be a selling point for Newcastle, with other targets such as Hugo Ekitike potentially failing in the Premier League due to the uncertainty surrounding his adaptation to the top-flight.
Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 03-04-25.
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