Chelsea win race to sign Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap

LONDON – Chelsea beat off competition from their English Premier League rivals to sign English striker Liam Delap from relegated Ipswich Town on June 4 for a reported fee of £30 million (S$52.3 million).

Delap, 22, scored 12 Premier League goals during his sole season at Portman Road but could not prevent Ipswich making an immediate return to the Championship.

Manchester United and Everton were also reportedly willing to meet the buyout clause in the England Under-21 international’s contract. But Chelsea won the race for the former Manchester City forward, bolstering their attacking options ahead of the Club World Cup in the United States.

“I understand the stature of this club and can see the trajectory it is on with these players and the head coach. 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,” said Delap, who has signed a six-year deal, in a Chelsea statement.

“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. The hunger and desire to keep adding trophies, to take the club back to where it belongs, that is the main objective.”

The Blues finished fourth in the Premier League and will return to the Champions League next season after a two-year absence.

Enzo Maresca’s men last week beat Real Betis 4-1 in the Conference League final to secure a trophy in the Italian manager’s first season in charge.

In mid-December, Chelsea were within touching distance of eventual Premier League champions Liverpool before hitting a rocky patch. But they finished the season strongly, securing a top-five spot on the final day of the season but were hamstrung by their lack of a clinical No. 9.

Senegal international Nicolas Jackson scored just 10 times in 30 Premier League appearances, while Christopher Nkunku looks set to leave the club after an underwhelming two-year spell.

Delap, the son of former Stoke City midfielder Rory Delap, began his career at City but struggled to break into Pep Guardiola’s star-studded first team.

He worked with Maresca during the 2020-21 campaign, when the coach oversaw the club’s elite development squad.

“He is an incredible coach and helped us all develop so much. He has a great understanding of the game. He was very detailed in how he approached things with us and while it can be hard at that age to take on so much information, he brought it across in a way we understood and could put into our games,” said Delap.

After loan spells in the second tier with Stoke, Preston North End and Hull City, he was snapped up by Ipswich in a deal worth up to £20 million after they won promotion to the Premier League a year ago. Delap was one of the few success stories for the Tractor Boys during a difficult season as they were relegated back to the Championship with just 22 points.

Chelsea will face Flamengo, Los Angeles FC and ES Tunis in the group stage of the Club World Cup, which gets under way on June 14. AFP