Chelsea confirm £30m signing of Liam Delap from Ipswich on six-year deal | Chelsea

Chelsea have strengthened their attack by completing the £30m signing of Liam Delap from Ipswich. The club were determined to bring in a new striker this summer and have moved swiftly to secure one of their top targets.

Delap, who has signed a six-year deal, chose to join Chelsea after receiving pitches from Everton, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United. The 22-year-old scored 12 goals for Ipswich last season and was available at an affordable price following their relegation from the Premier League. Chelsea met the release clause in his contract last week.

Enzo Maresca knows Delap from his time at Manchester City and played a key role in convincing the England Under-21 international to pick Chelsea. The forward, who joined Ipswich from City last summer, has been asked to miss the Under-21 European Championship in order to represent his new team at the Club World Cup.

“I understand the stature of this club and can see the trajectory it is on with these players and the head coach,” Delap told Chelsea’s website. “It’s going to be an incredible place for me to develop, and I hope to achieve amazing things here and help the club win more trophies.”

It remains to be seen if Delap is the last forward to join Chelsea this summer. They are also interested in the Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike. The arrival of another forward would raise questions over Nicolas Jackson’s future.