| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 14:02 - Apr 10 with 2897 views | MaySixth |
The Liam Delap transfer auction – featuring Chelsea, Man Utd and half the Premier League
April 10, 2025
Roll up, roll up, for what is shaping up to be one of the bigger auctions in modern years for the Premier League.
Exactly how big depends on how many of Liam Delap’s admirers are willing to turn their interest in the Ipswich Town striker into something with greater substance.
But The Athletic’s information is that more than half of the Premier League’s clubs are monitoring his availability with a view to capitalising on Ipswich’s near-guaranteed relegation to the Championship.
Chelsea and Manchester United’s interest in the 22-year-old is serious.
The west London club have committed significant time and effort into pursuing Delap, who was signed at Manchester City by their co-director of recruitment and talent Joe Shields and then coached by Enzo Maresca, then Pep Guardiola’s assistant and now Chelsea manager.
They are perhaps best placed for any possible deal, but Chelsea have other options when it comes to signing a striker.
Delap also features high on United’s list of summer targets and that stems from a firmly held belief at Old Trafford that he is capable of filling their centre-forward role as an upgrade on Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.
United’s link with Delap goes back to the club’s technical director, Jason Wilcox, who was previously in charge of City’s academy and involved in signing the striker, then 16, from Derby’s youth system in 2019. Six years on, United are keen to make a deal happen. Very keen, in fact.
As it stands, Liverpool and Arsenal – two of the clubs scouring the market for a new forward – are prioritising others ahead of the player whose 12 goals in the Premier League this season represent more than a third of Ipswich’s entire total.
Yet there are all sorts of other clubs in England’s top division, outside the top two, who are intrigued by the buyout clause in Delap’s contract, which will come into play as soon as his current club, 12 points behind 17th-placed Wolves, are relegated. The figure is around £30million ($38m) – a number that is affordable to many of his prospective employees.
Nor is the interest restricted to English football at a time when so many clubs throughout Europe are looking for a certain type of player — the old-fashioned goalscorer — and discovering that it has become an increasingly rare species in the modern game.
Bayern Munich is one possible destination, with head coach Vincent Kompany a fan of Delap. There is interest from Italy, specifically Milan, currently ninth in Serie A but harbouring ambitions to reinvent themselves as a title-chasing club.
To add further intrigue, as reported by The Athletic in February, Manchester City have a buyback clause with Ipswich that means, in theory, they could pay £40million to re-sign a player who went in the other direction for half that amount last summer. That, however, seems unlikely for a number of reasons, not least because City already have Erling Haaland and another highly capable forward in the shape of Egypt international Omar Marmoush, signed from Eintracht Frankfurt for £59m in January.
Where does all this lead? As always with modern-day football, the richest and biggest clubs usually get their way.
They hold the power, for the most part, and it is fair to assume that some of Delap’s other admirers – even clubs who are in a higher league position than, say, Manchester United – may reluctantly have to let them get on with it.
Just because there is a buyout clause in place, don’t automatically assume that Delap will go for a fixed price, either. If two clubs, or more, meet the clause, it is quite possible that follow-up offers will be made and the numbers will start to go up.
It is also inevitable that wages will come into it and a significant part of Delap’s thinking will come down to which clubs are offering him the highest salary.
Yet there are other considerations, too, such as league positions, the possibility of playing in Europe, challenging for trophies, and Delap’s desire to be a mandatory first-team pick. At Bayern, for example, would he get into the team ahead of Harry Kane? Is there any benefit in staying at Ipswich (unlikely)? Or would any clubs from Saudi Arabia be able to tempt him away (unlikely again)?
At Ipswich, they talk about Delap having the self-assurance and work ethic that is almost always found in the elite forwards.
Kieran McKenna, Ipswich’s manager, has acknowledged his team are almost certainly going down. Yet McKenna is still regarded within coaching circles as one of the more impressive up-and-coming managers in the business, having previously won back-to-back promotions with Ipswich from League One, and it is clear the former Manchester United coach rates Delap among the Premier League’s outstanding forwards. That alone says something about the player in question.
Some people might remain sceptical about his ability to make the leap from a bottom-three club to one that has aspirations at the other end of the league table. Why, they might ask, have Liverpool and Arsenal kept their distance if Delap is really so good?
It is a valid question, but perhaps it is also worth remembering that a team in Ipswich’s position does not create anything like the number of chances as one higher up the division. On that basis, the clubs with the more serious interest in Delap are entitled to regard his 12 goals at the 31-game mark as an impressive, if not jaw-dropping, return. Only three Premier League strikers have outperformed Delap in surpassing their expected goals tally (he has an xG of 9, including penalties).
Although he has not yet broken into the England senior squad, that is surely only a matter of time. Delap has played for his country at every level from under-16s to the under-21s. He is capable of scoring all sorts of goals — headers, penalty-box finishes, long-range shooting — and has benefited from hours on the training ground at Ipswich with the coach, Lee Grant, who specialises with the team’s attacking players and was once a team-mate of Delap’s father, Rory, at Stoke City.
Grant has worked closely with Delap on every aspect of his performance, including the right way to channel his physicality and unsettle opponents with his powerful build. He has the second-highest number of carries among strikers in the Premier League this season (72) and his average carry distance of 7.3 metres is the highest of any centre-forward in the league. Even when he does not score, his combative streak makes him such a difficult opponent that it creates space for others.
The end result is a player who has established himself as a proven Premier League forward at an age when there is still scope for considerable improvement. That, in turn, has made Delap the subject of inquiries from a cluster of clubs trying to get ahead with their summer business and understand, realistically, what chance they have of becoming his next employer.
How many exactly? Well, perhaps it is easier to point out which clubs do not appear to have him in their thoughts.
Bournemouth, with Evanilson leading their attack, are one. Liverpool and Arsenal seem to be looking elsewhere for the time being, whereas Leicester City and Southampton — who were interested in signing Delap last summer, and at one point had him at their Staplewood training ground — are automatically out of the picture now they, like Ipswich, are gearing up for a return to the Championship. That apart, however, Delap has admirers among all the English clubs who could realistically afford him. Many have registered that interest already.
The race is on and Delap will go into the summer as the hottest property on the market. [Post edited 10 Apr 14:04]
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| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 14:17 - Apr 10 with 2771 views | Cheltenham_Blue |
Delap might be going? I can't see where that has come from. |  |
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| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 16:52 - Apr 10 with 2511 views | ArnieM |
FWIW,I think he'd be a mug to go. Stay with us another ( what's that in the grand scale of things(. He'll continue his development by playing just about every game, instead of warming the bench in the PL...( ask Hirst how that feels Liam!), it wont help his game, but would undoubtedly expand his and his agents bank balance. Would he get a regular senior England squad inclusion ditting on a big PL clubs bench? Hmm, I'm not so sure.
I know it won't happen ( him staying), but id like to think he'd consider it. Yes, i know, pigs might fly...... |  |
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| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 18:27 - Apr 10 with 2363 views | Herbivore |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 16:52 - Apr 10 by ArnieM |
FWIW,I think he'd be a mug to go. Stay with us another ( what's that in the grand scale of things(. He'll continue his development by playing just about every game, instead of warming the bench in the PL...( ask Hirst how that feels Liam!), it wont help his game, but would undoubtedly expand his and his agents bank balance. Would he get a regular senior England squad inclusion ditting on a big PL clubs bench? Hmm, I'm not so sure.
I know it won't happen ( him staying), but id like to think he'd consider it. Yes, i know, pigs might fly...... |
This is madness. |  |
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| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 18:37 - Apr 10 with 2323 views | TractorWood |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 16:52 - Apr 10 by ArnieM |
FWIW,I think he'd be a mug to go. Stay with us another ( what's that in the grand scale of things(. He'll continue his development by playing just about every game, instead of warming the bench in the PL...( ask Hirst how that feels Liam!), it wont help his game, but would undoubtedly expand his and his agents bank balance. Would he get a regular senior England squad inclusion ditting on a big PL clubs bench? Hmm, I'm not so sure.
I know it won't happen ( him staying), but id like to think he'd consider it. Yes, i know, pigs might fly...... |
So stay and play in a worse league and forego millions of pounds.
Great plan. |  |
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| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 18:53 - Apr 10 with 2249 views | flykickingbybgunn |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 18:37 - Apr 10 by TractorWood |
So stay and play in a worse league and forego millions of pounds.
Great plan. |
He's young. 10 years ahead of him.
Stay here and polish your trade.
Earn more later.
Or go to a larger club and just polish the bench. Not improving, just existing.
See R Wright. |  | | |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 18:53 - Apr 10 with 2245 views | Simonds92 |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 16:52 - Apr 10 by ArnieM |
FWIW,I think he'd be a mug to go. Stay with us another ( what's that in the grand scale of things(. He'll continue his development by playing just about every game, instead of warming the bench in the PL...( ask Hirst how that feels Liam!), it wont help his game, but would undoubtedly expand his and his agents bank balance. Would he get a regular senior England squad inclusion ditting on a big PL clubs bench? Hmm, I'm not so sure.
I know it won't happen ( him staying), but id like to think he'd consider it. Yes, i know, pigs might fly...... |
Some people are clearly oblivious to how good Delap is. He is a £70m+ striker we're losing at a ridiculous price.
If we stayed up this season and we were offered a straight swap with any of the other strikers in the league, I'd swap him for Isak, and the list stops there. |  | | |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 19:03 - Apr 10 with 2196 views | TractorWood |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 18:53 - Apr 10 by flykickingbybgunn |
He's young. 10 years ahead of him.
Stay here and polish your trade.
Earn more later.
Or go to a larger club and just polish the bench. Not improving, just existing.
See R Wright. |
He's score 12 for us in the Prem. His trade is plenty polished.
The club he picks is important. Mid table where he's first choice might be wise. | |
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| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 19:11 - Apr 10 with 2152 views | C_HealyIsAPleasure |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 18:53 - Apr 10 by Simonds92 |
Some people are clearly oblivious to how good Delap is. He is a £70m+ striker we're losing at a ridiculous price.
If we stayed up this season and we were offered a straight swap with any of the other strikers in the league, I'd swap him for Isak, and the list stops there. |
Sorry Erling, we’ve already got Delap… |  |
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| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 19:14 - Apr 10 with 2139 views | Simonds92 |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 19:11 - Apr 10 by C_HealyIsAPleasure |
Sorry Erling, we’ve already got Delap… |
Would you take Erling Haaland in our team? We'd never get the ball in to the box for him to score because he wouldn't hold the ball or link the play. | | | |
| This makes no sense... on 20:04 - Apr 10 with 1990 views | olimar |
"Just because there is a buyout clause in place, don’t automatically assume that Delap will go for a fixed price, either. If two clubs, or more, meet the clause, it is quite possible that follow-up offers will be made and the numbers will start to go up.
It is also inevitable that wages will come into it and a significant part of Delap’s thinking will come down to which clubs are offering him the highest salary."
If Chelsea offer £30m and trigger the release clause, what possible advantage would there be for United to offer £35m, for example? Ipswich are forced to sell in either scenario, offering more money doesnt change that.
All it does is reduce the amount of money they have left available to offer Delap in wages, which is the thing that actually would make a difference. | | | |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 20:09 - Apr 10 with 1949 views | olimar |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 18:53 - Apr 10 by flykickingbybgunn |
He's young. 10 years ahead of him.
Stay here and polish your trade.
Earn more later.
Or go to a larger club and just polish the bench. Not improving, just existing.
See R Wright. |
Or stay here, discover that we are a misfiring team with a new manager who dont create enough chances and he has an average Championship season and the interest cools.
Or he breaks a leg in August and loses 6 months of his career and the interest cools.
Or just take a massive offer when its on the table from a big PL club now. | | | |
| This makes no sense... on 07:16 - Apr 11 with 1485 views | badadski |
| This makes no sense... on 20:04 - Apr 10 by olimar |
"Just because there is a buyout clause in place, don’t automatically assume that Delap will go for a fixed price, either. If two clubs, or more, meet the clause, it is quite possible that follow-up offers will be made and the numbers will start to go up.
It is also inevitable that wages will come into it and a significant part of Delap’s thinking will come down to which clubs are offering him the highest salary."
If Chelsea offer £30m and trigger the release clause, what possible advantage would there be for United to offer £35m, for example? Ipswich are forced to sell in either scenario, offering more money doesnt change that.
All it does is reduce the amount of money they have left available to offer Delap in wages, which is the thing that actually would make a difference. |
If there is a set buy out clause then 2 teams won’t be competing with bidding more to get the player but competing with what they are offering Liam only, we won’t see a penny of that. If buy out is 30m then both teams only have to offer 30m to speak to Liam and that’s it. However I think the 30m has been plucked from the fact of learning man city have a 20% sell on clause or something similar which means they only have to offer what ever the buy out clause is less 20% the same as what villa did with philogene, other teams would have to offer full asking price to speak to Liam. | | | |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 07:46 - Apr 11 with 1408 views | ArnieM |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 19:03 - Apr 10 by TractorWood |
He's score 12 for us in the Prem. His trade is plenty polished.
The club he picks is important. Mid table where he's first choice might be wise. |
You dont appear to comprehend what a COMPLETE strikers attributes would encompass. Oddly enough, it's not all about scoring goals. | |
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| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 08:05 - Apr 11 with 1355 views | Herbivore |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 07:46 - Apr 11 by ArnieM |
You dont appear to comprehend what a COMPLETE strikers attributes would encompass. Oddly enough, it's not all about scoring goals. |
He's not going to become a COMPLETE striker by spending a season in the Championship training with and playing against inferior players. If we'd stayed up we'd have had maybe a 20% chance of keeping and developing him, us going down means he is 100% leaving for a top Prem side and rightly so. He'd be mad not to. | |
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| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 08:30 - Apr 11 with 1258 views | flykickingbybgunn |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 08:05 - Apr 11 by Herbivore |
He's not going to become a COMPLETE striker by spending a season in the Championship training with and playing against inferior players. If we'd stayed up we'd have had maybe a 20% chance of keeping and developing him, us going down means he is 100% leaving for a top Prem side and rightly so. He'd be mad not to. |
Hirst is much more a complete striker than Delap.
Liam scores goals himself. George has players around him scoring as well ( see Chappers, Omari etc).
If he does go then I believe he will miss out on a season of goals and learning and it will put back his chances of taking over the England No 9 slot . | | | |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 08:33 - Apr 11 with 1251 views | Herbivore |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 08:30 - Apr 11 by flykickingbybgunn |
Hirst is much more a complete striker than Delap.
Liam scores goals himself. George has players around him scoring as well ( see Chappers, Omari etc).
If he does go then I believe he will miss out on a season of goals and learning and it will put back his chances of taking over the England No 9 slot . |
A season in the Championship is not going to help his development. | |
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| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 08:56 - Apr 11 with 1198 views | rickw |
He has to stay in the PL, however I think he'd be better off joining a mid table (well mid table expectations) team for a year or two before joining one of the biggest teams.
I read yesterday Cunha's release clause is £62.5m so I was thinking can we offer him a new contract - give him a £1m signing fee, increase his wages to match our highest and raise the release clause to £45m, I'm sure his agent will want some of that extra profit too, but I don't think £45m would put anyone off him. |  |
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| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 09:28 - Apr 11 with 1129 views | WeirdFishes |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 08:33 - Apr 11 by Herbivore |
A season in the Championship is not going to help his development. |
Im sick of seeing Ipswich fans with this opinion, it’s living in cloud cuckoo land. The only way he is here next season is if he gets seriously injured to the point he’d miss most of next season. |  |
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| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 13:34 - Apr 11 with 857 views | textbackup |
| Daniel Taylor : full story on Liam Delap auction : April 10 on 16:52 - Apr 10 by ArnieM |
FWIW,I think he'd be a mug to go. Stay with us another ( what's that in the grand scale of things(. He'll continue his development by playing just about every game, instead of warming the bench in the PL...( ask Hirst how that feels Liam!), it wont help his game, but would undoubtedly expand his and his agents bank balance. Would he get a regular senior England squad inclusion ditting on a big PL clubs bench? Hmm, I'm not so sure.
I know it won't happen ( him staying), but id like to think he'd consider it. Yes, i know, pigs might fly...... |
If he stays he’s an even bigger mug!
1 chance in this life, and pissing about at Oxford away, when he has the chance to play every day with world class players.
No brainer |  |
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