Chelsea in pole position to sign £84m Liverpool target after opening talks

Chelsea’s transfer plans for the summer window are now in full swing, having just reached an agreement for the signing of Liam Delap from Ipswich Town, but their striker search may not be over with the Englishman.

Chelsea could sign second striker after Liam Delap

Earlier this week, Chelsea shook hands on a £30 million deal for Delap, fresh off the back of his 12-goal haul for Kieran McKenna’s relegated side.

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The west Londoners are in good spirits after their Conference League triumph.

The ex-Man City starlet was a beacon of light in an otherwise dismal Ipswich side, and his £30 million release clause was always going to result in club’s poaching Delap from Portman Road after his excellent 2024/2025 campaign.

Delap had offers from Man United, Newcastle and Everton as well as Chelsea, but the latter jumped into pole position after their qualification for next season’s Champions League, with the striker now set to bolster Enzo Maresca’s forward line.

Maresca knows the centre-forward well from their time together at City, and Delap was academy teammates with Cole Palmer, so the 22-year-old already has plenty of connections at the club and should get settled quickly.

Delap is set to undergo a medical on Monday ahead of his proposed switch to Stamford Bridge, but according to recent reports, he may not be their only new addition up front.

Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg has reported that Chelsea are still “pushing” to sign Eintracht Frankfurt sensation Hugo Ekitike, regardless of Delap’s arrival, following other claims that BlueCo could bring in two number nines before summer deadline day on September 1.

Chelsea’s pursuit of a double-striker deal is described as very possible, especially after their qualification for the Champions League, with player sales also likely to play a key role.

Chelsea in pole position to sign Hugo Ekitike after opening talks

According to CaughtOffside, despite his mammoth £84 million asking price, Chelsea and Liverpool remain interested in Ekitike as we enter the mini-transfer window open from June 1 to June 10.

After opening talks, it is believed Chelsea are currently in pole position to sign Ekitike ahead of Arne Slot’s side, following the Frenchman’s excellent haul of 22 goals and 12 assists in 48 appearances across 24/25.

Despite never quite making it at PSG, the 22-year-old has displayed his obvious quality in the Bundesliga, and those who’ve worked with Ekitike have showered praise on him, so he’s an option worth considering after Delap.

Called an “amazing” talent by French football expert Julien Laurens, Ekitike’s reserve team coach at Reims, Franck Chalencon, has shared exactly what Chelsea can expect from him.

“He’s a very clever player which has seen him to adapt and understand the expectations of professional football,” said Chalencon.

“His main quality? His instinct for goal. It’s very rare that Hugo plays a game without creating a chance himself at any occasion. In front of the goal, his ratio is excellent. But he’s not only a striker, he can play on the wing, too. Very technical. He knows what to do with the ball, when to keep it, when to give it.”