Chelsea Sets £40m Price for Liam Delap as Options Weigh

Chelsea’s summer clear-out has found its next headline act, and all eyes are on Liam Delap.

Como boss Cesc Fabregas has already raided west London once. He is not done yet. According to talkSPORT, the Spaniard has now turned his attention to Delap as he looks to sharpen his side’s attack for a tilt at the Champions League.

Chelsea, for their part, are ready to listen.

Chelsea set £40m price as Delap weighs options

Delap’s first year at Stamford Bridge never really caught fire. Fitness problems clipped his wings, limited his rhythm, and left him with just a single Premier League goal to show for an injury-hit campaign. In a squad already bulging with forwards, that has pushed him towards the exit.

The club’s stance is clear: he can go, but not cheaply. The hierarchy have slapped a £40m price tag on the 23-year-old, a figure that would bank them a £10m profit and help ease the pressure to trim a bloated first-team group before the September deadline.

Chelsea’s overhaul under new manager Xabi Alonso is gathering pace. Delap is one of several attackers whose futures are in play, with Nicolas Jackson also in the frame for a move to Aston Villa as the Blues look to balance the books and streamline the squad.

Como’s Champions League lure vs Premier League pull

On paper, Como’s pitch is enticing. Champions League football, a project led by Fabregas, and the chance to become the focal point of a side punching above its historical weight.

The problem? Delap is understood to be keen to stay in the Premier League.

That stance complicates any Italian adventure. Como remain hopeful they can change his mind, but the pull of English football is strong, especially for a young striker still trying to establish himself at the highest level and keep his international dreams alive.

Forest circle as Awoniyi nears exit

Just as Como moved into position, Nottingham Forest entered the race.

Forest are expected to be busy in the final stretch of the window, with Taiwo Awoniyi poised to join Coventry City. That potential departure opens up a clear need for a new No 9, and Delap fits the profile: young, mobile, with upside and Premier League experience, however limited.

His reputation has not been built at Chelsea but at Ipswich Town, where he impressed during their first season back in the top flight, scoring 12 times and showcasing the raw qualities that still attract top-flight interest.

Forest’s interest gives Delap exactly what he wants: a realistic route to regular Premier League minutes. It also hands Chelsea leverage in any negotiation, domestic or abroad.

International stakes for Delap’s next move

This decision is not just about minutes and money. It cuts into Delap’s international ambitions.

He has already worn the England shirt at various youth levels, but the senior call has yet to arrive. Through his father, Rory Delap, he remains eligible for the Republic of Ireland as well, a subplot that lingers in the background as his career edges towards a defining phase.

Where he lands next could shape which anthem he stands for in the years to come.

For now, one thing feels close to certain: in a Chelsea squad being ruthlessly reshaped under Alonso, Liam Delap looks destined to be on the move. The only real question is whether his future lies under the lights of the Champions League in Como, or in the unforgiving grind of another Premier League survival fight.