Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap in a £30million deal.
The England Under-21 star established himself as one of the Premier League’s top young players last season, scoring 12 Premier League goals in 37 appearances as the Tractor Boys were relegated, triggering his cut-price release clause.
Delap has signed a six-year contract which will keep him at Stamford Bridge through 2031 and is expected to join up ahead of the Club World Cup.
The Blues pipped several top teams to his signature, with Manchester United, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, and Everton all showing concrete interest. Chelsea could still add more forwards this summer as they are reportedly locked in talks to sign Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike.
On signing, Delap said he was ready to chase silverware with Chelsea.
“Growing up watching this club, I understand the stature of it and how incredible it has been over the years,” he told Chelsea’s website. “I wanted to come here to win trophies.
“When I spoke to the club, everyone wanted to get back to the very top, and they have the quality and the players to do that. The hunger and desire to keep adding trophies, to take the club back to where it belongs, that is the main objective.”
The 22-year-old will provide competition for Nicolas Jackson, who struggled for consistency and suffered a 13-game goal drought last season.
Delap will be reunited with Enzo Maresca for the first time since his trophy-laden days in Manchester City’s academy, when the pair worked together in the club’s Elite Development Squad. He scored 27 goals in 22 matches in that side, form he will hope to reignite on arrival in West London.
He also has a strong relationship with Cole Palmer. The pair are close friends and linked up in City’s U18 squad, the partnership proving prolific as they won the FA Youth Cup together in 2020.
He will also rejoin fellow City academy alumni Romeo Lavia and Tosin Adarabioyo, and could play alongside his England U21 teammate Jamie Gittens, who Chelsea are reportedly attempting to sign as a replacement for the departing Jadon Sancho.
