Exclusive says Chelsea may target “cheaper” option up top who Man U want this summer | OneFootball

With the January window now long closed and no further chance to buy players, we expect to hear more and more about Chelsea’s summer plans as the weeks pass.

That’s only going to be exaggerated by the team’s current struggles. There are major issues throughout this team, and some of them look like they can only be fixed in the summer.

Chief among them is up front – that need was first brought into focus by Nicolas Jackson’s collapse in form after Christmas, and has now been made even sharper by his injury absence, alongside that of his alternate up top, Marc Guiu.

Top of our list, if you believe the rumours, is Liam Delap. He’s young, English, comes from the same Man City academy that our manager and many of our players worked in, and is scoring goals in the Premier League for a team near the bottom of the table.

Chelsea favour “cheaper” option but face serious competition

Man United target Liam Delap celebrates scoring. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

The problem with Delap is that the rest of the league are going to want him too – especially Manchester United, who are in a similar situation to us right now. CaughtOffside claim their sources tell them that their “sources have indicated” that Chelsea are “leading the race” for the player who is “of great interest to [their] project.”

Chelsea apparently see him as “cheaper” compared to other elite strikers out there.

We can see exactly why – the question is how much Delap’s price will end up being, given the interest from other teams in the league and given the wild card element here that is Man City’s buy back clause in the deal that took him to Portman road.

Real Madrid style, they could stick their oar in at any point, buy Delap then make the profit on him themselves if they want.