Newcastle United FC v Ipswich Town FC - Premier League
Liam Delap impressed for relegated Premier League side Ipswich Town (Picture: Getty)
Liam Delap has ‘given the green light’ to a summer move to Chelsea despite agreeing personal terms with Manchester United, according to reports.
The 22-year-old has emerged as a target for several clubs after an impressive season for relegated Premier League side Ipswich Town.
Ipswich won just four of their 38 league games but a difficult return to the English top-flight did not prevent Delap from impressing with 12 goals.
Delap spent five years at Manchester City before his move to Portman Road and is rated as one of the most promising young strikers in Europe.
Another reason he has attracted substantial interest is the existence of a relatively cheap release clause worth £30m which came into effect once Ipswich’s relegation to the Championship was confirmed.
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Both Chelsea and Manchester United are ready to activate that buy-out clause and have been in talks with Delap to discuss personal terms.
It was reported last week that Delap had agreed personal terms with United, who in turn had informed Ipswich of their desire to meet his release clause.
Nottingham Forest FC v Chelsea FC - Premier League
Enzo Maresca wants to bring a new striker to Chelsea (Picture: Getty)
But while Delap verbally agreed terms with Manchester United, who endured a miserable season, he was still to make a final decision over his next club.
According to talkSPORT, Delap has now ‘given the green light’ to Chelsea and is closing in on a switch to Stamford Bridge.
Qualifying for the Champions League boosted Chelsea’s chances of signing Delap and other targets this summer, with Enzo Maresca’s side securing a fourth-place finish on the final day of the season.
Manchester United Training Session and Press Conference
Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim may need to look elsewhere (Picture: Getty)
In contract, Manchester United finished just 15th in the Premier League and failed to qualify for any European competition after losing the Europa League final.
Newcastle United and Everton also expressed interest in signing Delap, the son of former Stoke City defender Rory, but the England U21 star appears to have chosen Chelsea as his next club.
If Delap does end up at Chelsea, he will compete for current first-choice striker Nicolas Jackson for a place in Maresca’s team.
Chelsea not only qualified for the Champions League with a fourth-place finish but also lifted a major trophy, winning the Conference League with a 4-1 win over Real Betis in the final.
After Chelsea came from a goal down to thrash La Liga side Betis, Blues captain Reece James told TNT Sports: ‘It’s a great feeling.
‘As the game went on we grew into it and thankfully we scored four goals in the second half.
‘Coming into this competition was something we had to win. Next season we go again in the Champions League.’
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