Clubs who were pursuing the signing of Liam Delap from Ipswich Town are being informed that he is not moving to them, amid the England youth striker’s preference to join Chelsea.
Sources at teams including Manchester United, Newcastle United, Everton, Nottingham Forest, AC Milan and Juventus — speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships — say they are now aware he is heading elsewhere.
Subject to agreement on personal terms and the requirements of Delap’s £30million ($40m) release clause being met, the 22-year-old will move to Chelsea.
Ipswich signed Delap from Manchester City, where he made just six first-team appearances, in July 2024 in a deal worth an initial £15million ($19.2m) plus an additional £5m following their promotion to the English top-flight.
Despite Ipswich’s struggles at the wrong end of the table and subsequent relegation, Delap enjoyed a breakthrough campaign, scoring 12 goals in the Premier League.
He spent the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons across Championship loan spells at Stoke City, Preston North End and Hull City respectively, where he scored 12 times across 70 matches.
Delap, whose father Rory played 11 times for the Republic of Ireland, has been capped up to under-21 level for England.
Why Delap is so coveted
Analysis from senior data analyst Mark Carey
Having scored 12 of Ipswich’s 36 league goals, Delap has often been tasked with generating his own chances with limited service from his team-mates.
In a counter-attacking Ipswich side, Delap’s powerful, driving runs forward were a theme of his season as he has shouldered much of the attacking responsibility with a return of 10 non-penalty goals — at a rate of one in three — for his efforts.
Whether it is thumping finishes from range or delicate flicks at the near post, Delap is in a rush to get on the scoresheet. A desire to get forward is the bare minimum for a striker, but Delap is something of a throwback — an out-and-out striker who is desperate to stretch the opposition back line.
This is highlighted in Delap’s SkillCorner profile below, denoting his off-ball run types as a share of his total runs made. Runs ahead of the ball or in-behind opposition defences take up a healthy amount of Delap’s running real estate, with a large share of cross receiver runs (runs towards goal to receive a possible cross) showing a player who thrives at the sharp end of his side’s attack.
‘A striker with a combative streak’
Analysis by Daniel Taylor
Delap is capable of scoring all sorts of goals — headers, penalty-box finishes, long-range shooting — and has benefited from hours on the training ground at Ipswich with coach, Lee Grant — the former Manchester United goalkeeper — who specialises with the team’s attacking players and was once a team-mate of Delap’s father, Rory, at Stoke City.
Grant has worked closely with Delap on every aspect of his performance, including the right way to channel his physicality and unsettle opponents with his powerful build. Even when he does not score, his combative streak makes him such a difficult opponent that it creates space for others.
The end result is a player who has established himself as a proven Premier League forward at an age when there is still scope for considerable improvement.
Where does this leave Manchester United?
Analysis by Manchester United correspondent Laurie Whitwell
Delap was United’s first choice as centre-forward, so this leaves their circumstances up in the air. It is the crucial position that had been targeted in advance of the window, given the issues the team have had scoring goals. The impending arrival of Matheus Cunha has eased the pressure somewhat but getting in a striker should still be a high priority for United.
Amorim has a strong relationship with Viktor Gyokeres but the Sweden international wants Champions League football on his exit from Sporting CP. Napoli’s Victor Osimhen has also been discussed but his wage demands have been seen as too excessive.
Bryan Mbeumo of Brentford is a genuine option and perhaps United pivot to a different strategy, given his best performances have come as a wider player.
There had been some questions internally at United about Delap’s suitability to leading the line aged 22, given Rasmus Hojlund’s struggles, but he was the priority, led by technical director Jason Wilcox. So this is a blow to the plans chief executive Omar Berrada spoke about being months in the making during an interview in Kuala Lumpur.
Albeit Delap’s preference for Chelsea had been anticipated by certain close observers well in advance.
‘A coup for Chelsea’
Analysis by Dan Sheldon
Given the number of clubs targeting Delap, this is a coup for Chelsea — no doubt aided by the fact they will be participating in next season’s Champions League — and follows on from the celebrations of their UEFA Conference League triumph on Wednesday night.
Delap is one of the brightest young sparks in English football, so the fact he wants to call Stamford Bridge home is a significant vote of confidence in what Chelsea are building.
Nicolas Jackson has been the only conventional senior No 9 available to Enzo Maresca this season, so Delap’s potential arrival would benefit his squad.
From Chelsea’s squad, only Cole Palmer (15), scored more Premier League goals than Delap’s 12, which is an impressive tally given it was his first year playing in England’s top flight and that Ipswich were one of the three worst teams in 2024-25.
The release clause makes this a good bit of business for Chelsea, especially as Ipswich, given Delap’s age and pedigree, could command a significantly higher fee if the clause didn’t exist.
(Top photo: Stephen Pond/Getty Images)
