Liam Delap has completed a £30million move to Chelsea from Ipswich.
The 22-year-old‘s future has been the subject of talk for some time now after impressing in his maiden top-flight season with the Tractor Boys, with several Premier League clubs showing an interest.
Liam Delap is officially a Chelsea playerGettyDelap held talks with Manchester United and Newcastle, as well as Everton.
But it is the Blues who have won the race to sign the England Under-21 striker, who has penned a six-year contract at Stamford Bridge.
“I understand the stature of this club and can see the trajectory it is on with these players and the head coach,” Delap said.
“It’s going to be an incredible place for me to develop, and I hope to achieve amazing things here and help the club win more trophies.”
After scoring 12 goals in 37 Premier League appearances for relegated Ipswich, Chelsea wasted no time in making the frontman their main target, before striking a deal to activate his £30m release clause.
Champions League football is believed to be the main factor in Delap’s decision to choose the club over United, having previously been leaning towards a move to Old Trafford.
Enzo Maresca‘s side secured their spot in next season’s competition with a fourth-place league finish.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils’ defeat in the Europa League final against Tottenham means they missed out on not only the Champions League, but European football altogether.
Delap’s move to west London also sees him reunited with Blues boss Maresca.
The Italian previously worked with Delap at Manchester City, where the latter spent five years after signing from Derby aged 16.
Aged just 22, Delap has already played 120 professional gamesChelsea FC via Getty His new teammate Nicolas Jackson scored 10 Premier League goals for Chelsea this seasonGettyAfter rising through the City youth ranks to make six appearances for the club, the all-action centre-forward proved his ability at senior level with loan spells at Championship sides Stoke, Preston and Hull.
He impressed particularly with the latter, scoring 8 goals in 31 league games to earn him a move to newly-promoted Ipswich in July 2024.
Despite a difficult season for Kieran McKenna’s side, who were relegated back to the Championship after finishing 19th, this didn’t stop Delap from enjoying a breakout year on a personal level.
His goal tally meant that Ollie Watkins, Cole Palmer and Jarrod Bowen were the only English players to score more Premier League goals than him this term.
Delap now has a chance to showcase his goalscoring pedigree at the highest level with Chelsea, where he will compete with incumbent striker Nicolas Jackson for the starting berth.
And his former coach Ian Foster, who oversaw his development as head coach of England Under-18, 19 and 20 sides, believes the youngster is more than capable of handling the step up.
Delap has scored 14 goals in England’s youth teams from Under-16 to Under-21 levelGettySpeaking on talkSPORT Breakfast, Foster said: “I think he can score goals at the highest level. I think he’ll be a better player in a better team with better players around him.
“He’s a bit of a throwback. He’s not pretty at times, but I love watching him, I loved working with him.
“He’ll give you everything, and he’ll excite the crowd. He’ll definitely excite the Chelsea fans, I’m sure.”
Foster was quick to add that Delap possesses all the attributes to make his move to Chelsea a success.
Hailing his mentality, he said: “Attitude won’t be a problem with Liam at all.
“I’ve known Liam probably since he was 15, 16 years of age, when he was a Derby County Academy prospect, and he went to City quite early for big money.
Delap put up some impressive numbers in the 2024/25 Premier League season“He’s had to prove himself a little bit – he was an early developer physically, so you weren’t quite sure whether Liam was going to be a flat-track bully in academy football, whether he’d be able to transition into the men’s game and still use his physicality as a super strength.”
The 48-year-old added: “I think the loan moves he’s had, the three clubs he’s played for in the Championship have done him the world of good.
“He’s 22 years of age now, Liam. He’s accumulated over 100 games, 37 in the Premier League last season, scoring 12 goals in a team that went down.
“I think he’s ready to go now.”
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