Liam Delap Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town
Newcastle United are looking to bolster their squad for the next season and one of the players on Eddie Howe’s radar is looking at is Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap. The Magpies have been in talks with the forward’s representatives as they look to agree on personal terms, claims Teamtalk.
Now that Ipswich have been relegated from the Premier League, Delap’s €36 million release clause has become active and the striker is ready to leave the club for a fresh adventure. Newcastle aren’t the only side who are interested in him because clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea have also been keeping tabs on him for several months.
Despite Ipswich moving back to the Championship, Liam Delap registered impressive numbers scoring 12 goals in 40 appearances. In the Premier League he had an xG of 9.34 from just 32 shots on target. The 22-year-old is being labelled as a future star performer which is why so many big clubs want him on board.
Which move will Liam Delap likely to choose?
The fact that Newcastle United have secured Champions League football will give them a slight edge but they are not going to sell Alexander Isak this summer. This basically means Delap will face stiff competition but according to reports, he does not want to join a side where he struggles to get game time.
He started 32 out of the 37 Premier League games he played this season and the youngster wants to continue at the same pace next campaign as well. Isak is Newcastle’s biggest asset and it will be very hard for someone like Liam Delap to keep him on the bench.
Manchester United will fancy their chances in this transfer race because they will get rid of Rasmus Hojlund but the Red Devils also have a similar problem. They are about to sign Matheus Cunha and if Ruben Amorim intends to use him as a centre-forward then the Ipswich man will be warming the benches.
Chelsea(if they are serious about signing him) might be the ideal destination for the 22-year-old because they only have Nicolas Jackson as their centre-forward. Nkunku will leave in the summer and even though Jackson has made 17 goal contributions this season, Liam Delap has the talent to move above him in the pecking order.
Conclusion:
It’s not a surprise that Delap wants to join a team where he can play consistently but he has to be realistic as well. The Englishman has a release clause of just €36 million and at that price point it will be very hard for him to become a first-choice striker at one of the bigger clubs.
He will either have to opt for a move to one of the other interested clubs like Crystal Palace, Brighton or RB Leipzig, or the 22-year-old needs to be ready to fight for a regular starting role every matchweek.