Chelsea are weighing up a potential move for Ipswich’s Liam Delap, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Speaking on an X Space, Jacobs said that he is hearing strong rumours about the Blues making an approach for the striker but he thinks a transfer this month is probably not on the cards:

“The feeling in the industry at the moment is that Chelsea are going to move for Liam Delap but Ipswich are very unlikely to sell in January.”

Delap only made the move to Portman Road last summer, and he has gone on to score 8 goals in his first 19 league appearances.

Several clubs are keeping tabs on Delap

Chelsea are not believed to be the only team tracking the forward‘s progress. Liverpool, Manchester United and his former team Manchester City are also reportedly in the mix.

Pep Guardiola’s side do have an advantage over other teams in the fact that they do have a buyback option on Delap which is said to be worth around £30m.

Ipswich will more than likely demand much more than that from Chelsea and other teams, especially because City have a sell-on clause on the player too.

The Chelsea target has been described as the “Successor” to Harry Kane

Speaking in November about the 21-year-old, BBC pundit Danny Murphy made a pretty bold prediction about Delap and his future potential:

“He’s got a lot of qualities. I’ve seen him quite a lot this season and I’d probably go as far as to say that, for me, he’s the obvious long-term successor to [Harry] Kane. I think he’s the best young English striker out there.”

Whether he can live up to that comparison, we shall have to wait and see, but it’s clear that Chelsea have taken a liking to the player.

Find out who is in Chelsea’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here