Updated: 15 Aug 2026 15:02 BST |
4 min read
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Liam Delap was left under no illusions where he stands in Chelsea’s pecking order by Xabi Alonso, having made a surprise transfer demand that threatens to derail the Blues’ summer plans.
Chelsea could raise as much as €300 million in transfer fee before the close of the window on 2 September, with Delap lined up with a move to Serie A side Como.
However, after it was revealed that the 23-year-old is ready to turn the opportunity to hook up with Cesc Fabregas in Serie A down, Alonso took decisive action and dropped the England international from the Blues squad to face Real Sociedad in friendly action at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Delap ready to turn Como move down for one simple reason
Chelsea have been busy in the market this summer but their priority before the end of the window is to trim down Alonso’s enormous squad.
Delap is one of the players earmarked to be pushed out, just a year after arriving at the club from Ipswich. He endured a disappointing campaign with the Blues, netting just once in the Premier League, and has fallen behind Joao Pedro in the pecking order, with Emmanuel Emegha having also arrived to challenge for the No.9 role.
The Blues have put an asking price of €47m (£40m) on his head, according to TalkSport.
Como are ready to pay for the striker but they face a “struggle” to persuade Delap to move to Italy, despite being able to offer the player Champions League football.
The former Ipswich striker wants to remain in the Premier League, where there is interest from Newcastle and Everton, however, this is less concrete than the offer from Italy and does not offer the same guarantee of a big transfer fee.
Delap given clear message by Alonso
In response, Alonso did not name Delap in the Chelsea squad to take on Real Sociedad in their final pre-season friendly of the summer.
This was the first time that the striker was not involved at all and came a week after he netted twice against Johor in a 2-2 draw that was largely contested by a second-string side.
It also marks the end of a tumultuous pre-season campaign for the hitman after he was heavily criticised for his display in the remarkable 6-4 victory over Western Sidney Wanderers, one of only two starts he made across the Blues’ six warm-up matches.
Alonso’s decision was also thrown into sharper focus by the fact that he named Enzo Fernandez, who has very publicly been linked with Manchester City, among his 13-strong substitutes to face La Real.
Chelsea did not even have a recognised centre-forward on the bench, with Estevao Willian the closest the Blues had to a No.9among the replacements.
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