Chelsea are in talks with the representatives of a high-earning forward as they attempt to make him a Stamford Bridge player next season, according to reports, with Enzo Maresca's side continuing their plans for the summer after agreeing a deal for Liam Delap.
Chelsea set to sign Liam Delap from Ipswich Town
On Thursday, confirmation broke from trusted transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano that Chelsea were set to sign Delap.
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The west Londoners like him "a lot".
Just three days before the mini-transfer window was set to open, Chelsea already sealed their first deal of the summer, giving Maresca an almighty boost ahead of their Club World Cup campaign next month.
For just £30 million, Chelsea will bring in an adept, homegrown Premier League goalscorer with bags of potential at just 22-years-old. In truth, Chelsea havent had a number nine of his ilk since Diego Costa, and former Man United midfielder Paul Parker believes that he could be their newly-found English answer to the Brazilian.
“Delap’s had a very good season. The one thing that he’s got about him is that he’s a workaholic, he’ll make the unselfish runs," said Parker to ChelseaNews.
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“He’s definitely more athletic in the way that he goes, I would say he’s like an English version of Diego Costa, he doesn’t make it easier on anybody, his team comes first, he will fight for everything. This lad has got a fire in his belly, he’s an old-school striker.
“There aren’t many players like him at this moment in time who seem like they’re playing for the love (of playing the game).”
BlueCo also have some key decisions to make in regard to their current squad, with a lot of debate surrounding winger Jadon Sancho.
Chelsea in talks with Jadon Sancho over permanent move
The £300,000-per-week winger played a key role in their Conference League triumph on Wednesday, and Chelsea have already triggered the £25 million obligation to buy in his loan deal from Man United, which was conditional on them finishing above 15th in the table.
However, Chelsea could still opt out of buying him by paying a £5 million penalty fee to the Red Devils.
jadon-sancho-chelsea (2)
Sky Sports, sharing an update on the matter, claim Chelsea are in talks with Sancho over joining permanently, but he'll have to accept a reduction on his current wage packet to bring him in line with the club's current salary structure.
While there remains a chance that Sancho returns to Old Trafford, Chelsea are showing a clear willingness and desire to keep hold of the Englishman, which Maresca will surely be delighted with given how much he rates the forward.
"He needs to continue in the same way; work hard, every day," said Maresca at the start of the season.
"As I’ve said before, for sure he is going to help us. We really believe that he is a special player. But the only way for him to confirm that is by working hard every day and never be happy and always be ambitious. He needs to want more and more and more."