Chelsea player who joined last summer is destined for exit as Blues set profit target
by Ahad Shaukat · CaughtOffside(Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Chelsea are prepared to listen to offers for Liam Delap as Xabi Alonso begins reducing an overcrowded group of centre-forwards.
The striker only arrived from Ipswich Town for £30 million, but his route to regular football has narrowed following further changes to the attack.
João Pedro remains a leading option, Nicolas Jackson has returned from his loan spell and Emmanuel Emegha has joined from Strasbourg.
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL CAUGHTOFFSIDE APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAY
Chelsea do not urgently need to sell, meaning they can demand a profit rather than simply recovering their original investment.
A move could nevertheless benefit Delap if another Premier League club offers the consistent starting role he currently lacks.
Chelsea ready to approve Delap sale
According to The Athletic, Delap is among the Chelsea players most likely to leave.
The Blues want more than the £30 million they paid Ipswich and could seek a fee closer to £40 million.
Chelsea’s position reflects how their transfer window has developed. Alonso has inherited several senior strikers, while the club have continued adding experience and immediate quality to a squad that will not play European football.
Want more CaughtOffside coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust
Keeping too many forwards would make it difficult to offer everyone meaningful minutes.
Everton and Newcastle have both been linked. Everton need a stronger central striker to support their attacking rebuild, while Newcastle are searching for more firepower during a wider squad refresh.
Interest from two Premier League clubs could help Chelsea create competition and protect their asking price.
Everton are interested in signing the English striker
Sky Sports reports that Everton explored a loan after previously trying to sign Delap before his Chelsea move.
However, a temporary deal would not necessarily suit Chelsea unless it included a substantial fee or obligation to buy.
Delap would give Everton physicality, pressing and a penalty-box presence, but Newcastle could offer a more ambitious sporting project.
Their involvement may force Everton to consider a permanent bid rather than waiting for Chelsea to soften their position.
Selling after one difficult season would appear ruthless, but it could still be sensible.
Chelsea already have enough attacking depth, while Delap needs regular football to continue developing.
If the club receive around £40 million, they would make a useful profit and remove another selection problem.
Chelsea consider loaning out Mudryk to shock club to revive his career
Live Comments
Welcome to our Live Comments section, where new comments will appear automatically
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Comment *
Name *
Email *
Notify me of follow-up comments by email.
Notify me of new posts by email.