27 Apr 2026 12:56 BST |
4 min read
Chelsea striker Liam Delap reportedly wants to fight for his place at the club next year, despite rumours suggesting that he could be sold this summer.
The 23-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge from Ipswich Town for a fee of €35.5 million last July, following an eye-catching campaign at Portman Road, but he has endured a torrid debut season in west London.
Delap has only scored one goal in 25 Premier League matches for Chelsea and he is firmly behind fellow summer signing Joao Pedro in the pecking order, with the Brazilian having found the back of the net on 14 occasions in the English top flight this term.
With Emmanuel Emegha joining the club from Strasbourg in July, Nicolas Jackson set to return to the fold following a loan spell at Bayern Munich and Marc Guiu also still at the club, it has been widely reported that Chelsea are willing to listen to offers for Delap this summer.
Everton have been linked with a move for the former England U21 international in recent months, while Ipswich have even been tipped to bring him back to the club if they secure promotion back to the Premier League.
However, Delap has no intention of leaving Chelsea after just one season and he believes he can still make the move a success.
That is according to The Telegraph, who report that Delap wants to finish the 2025-26 campaign strongly before returning to the club’s Cobham facility over the summer in order to prepare for next year.
Despite this, Delap’s future may be influenced by whoever Chelsea appoint as their new head coach. Calum McFarlane was placed in interim charge following the sacking of Liam Rosenior last month, but the Blues are set to hire a permanent replacement this summer, with Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola among the top targets for the role.
The aforementioned Jackson was cast aside by former boss Enzo Maresca last summer, however his career at Chelsea could be kickstarted by whoever the Blues pick as their new manager, and this could have a direct bearing on whether Delap is retained or sold.
Analysis: Chelsea need to sell Liam Delap this summer
While Delap is evidently keen to prove himself at Chelsea, there has been very little evidence to suggest that he is good enough for a club of the Blues’ stature.
Pedro is a clear level above and whenever Delap has been required to play instead of the Brazilian, Chelsea have looked like a far worse team.
His all-round skillset is far inferior to Pedro’s, while he is also yet to display the goalscoring instincts that saw him net 12 league goals for Ipswich last season.
Furthermore, Jackson certainly had his flaws during his two years as Chelsea’s favoured number nine, but he undoubtedly displayed far more promise than Delap and reintegrating the Senegal star as Pedro’s back-up would be a smart move this summer.
Related stories:
Fabrizio Romano drops Chelsea next manager bombshell
Enzo Fernandez to Man City: A transfer Chelsea can’t afford to accept
Chelsea Transfer News Today: Blues get Gordon chance as Jackson decision confirmed
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