“Medical booked in next 24hours” – Fabrizio Romano confirms striker already signed for Chelsea
Chelsea are about to make their first signing of the summer! More to follow.
Fabrizio Romano has just Tweeted that Liam Delap “will sign his Chelsea contract in the next 24 hours” and has had a medical with the Blues authorised by Ipswich.
Less than 24 hours after the Conference League win, this is a major statement of intent from the club, who knew that finding competition for Nicolas Jackson this summer was an absolute priority in the transfer market. Getting so much business like this done early is really pleasing, and should help the player and the squad hit the ground running in August.
Chelsea land their Delap, their top target
Delap has been our top target for a long time if you go by the weight of rumours surrounding him since January.
He ticks all the boxes – young but with some Premier League experience, the Man City connection with our sporting directors and our manager, and most of all available quickly and cheaply with his £30m relegation release clause now triggered.
Chelsea fend off late Manchester United interest to secure top target
This is a move that has gone in a few different directions. Not long ago, all the briefs were claiming that Manchester United were favourites to sign the striker.
Whether that forced Chelsea to bump up their offer, or whether it was cementing our Champions League qualification that changed the equation we don’t know. All we know is that we look to have landed a really promising young striker for a bargain fee.
What a perfect way to start the summer. Delap can be signed up and training with us in time to feature at the Club World Cup, a huge boost to our chances and to his speed of integration for next season.