Liam Delap is keen to remain in the Premier League after Como reportedly made an approach to sign the Chelsea striker. The Serie A side are keen on a loan move for the 23-year-old as Cesc Fabregas looks to bolster his options ahead of the new season.
Struggles at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea beat a host of rivals, most notably Manchester United, to sign Delap in a £30million deal from Ipswich Town last summer. Much was expected of the young Englishman after a promising first season in the English top flight with Ipswich, but Delap struggled to kick on in his maiden season at Stamford Bridge.
In a campaign affected by injury and suspension, Delap only scored two goals in 41 appearances and was forced to play backup to fellow summer signing Joao Pedro. He has fallen further down the pecking order this summer after the arrival of Emmanuel Emegha and Danny Welbeck, as well as the return of Nicolas Jackson from his loan spell at Bayern Munich.
Premier League preference
Chelsea are said to value Delap at £40m, with a host of Premier League clubs said to be interested in signing him. However, there is also interest from abroad, with Como making an approach in recent days. But talkSPORT reports that Delap is keen to stay in the Premier League and wait for offers from English top-flight clubs. Everton, Nottingham Forest and Leeds United have all previously been credited with interest in the former Ipswich striker.
Jackson also available
Delap might not be the only striker heading for the exit this summer at Chelsea, with the club also open to offers for Jackson. Chelsea are said to value Jackson at £65m, with Aston Villa and Newcastle United both said to have made approaches for the Senegalese international.
Speaking earlier in the pre-season when asked about Jackson’s future, new Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso said: ‘Yes, Nico is a great player. He’s a threat to play against any defence, so we want to have players that can compete, and Nico for sure is one of them. We need to go day by day checking options, but we are happy that Nico is with us.’
