Liam Delap playing for Ipswich
Liam Delap is attracting plenty of interest from Premier League clubs.
Chelsea are ramping up their pursuit of a new striker after qualifying for the Champions League, with further talks held over Ipswich’s Liam Delap and the club giving strong consideration to a move for Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike.
Improving their options in attack is a priority for the club this summer and their hopes of landing their top targets has been boosted by finishing fourth in the Premier League.
Chelsea are one of the teams competing for Delap, whose release clause has dropped to £30m after Ipswich’s relegation from the top flight, and there is firm interest in Ekitike and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko. A deal for Ekitike, who has scored 22 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions this season, is complicated by Frankfurt’s asking price of £84m.
The France Under-21 international joined the Bundesliga club from Paris Saint-Germain last summer. It is likely that Chelsea would try to reach a compromise on the fee if they push for the 22-year-old. Ekitike has also been linked with Liverpool and Manchester United.
Sesko, the 21-year-old Slovenia international, has scored 26 goals for club and country this season. He reportedly has a release clause set at £62m and has been tracked by Chelsea for three years. Arsenal are also keen on Sesko, who has interest from at least two unnamed clubs.
It remains to be seen who Chelsea will settle on as they try to provide more competition for Nicolas Jackson. The Senegal striker missed the crucial victory against Nottingham Forest last Sunday through suspension. The inexperienced Marc Guiu has deputised for Jackson at times. Christopher Nkunku has underwhelmed during his outings as a No 9 and is expected to leave Chelsea in the summer.
There is a feeling that Delap’s physicality would make him an effective option for Enzo Maresca. The argument is that Maresca’s patient style of play would benefit from more punch in attack. Delap has also spoken to Everton, Newcastle and Manchester United. There is a sense that United’s chances of signing the England Under-21 international have been hit by their defeat in the Europa League final, meaning they have missed out on European qualification.
Chelsea, who face Real Betis in the Uefa Conference League final on Wednesday and compete in this summer’s expanded Club World Cup, are looking to conduct their business quickly. They want a centre-back and a right-footed left winger. There have been indications that they could try to sign a new goalkeeper. Rival clubs believe that Chelsea could be tempted to sell their current No 1, Robert Sánchez.