Chelsea are reportedly planning to make an approach for Ipswich Town forward Liam Delap during a future transfer window.
Since making a £15m move from Manchester City to Portman Road during the summer, Delap has proven to be a vital cog in the frontline of Kieran McKenna.
A total of six goals have come from his 17 Premier League appearances, the 21-year-old putting himself on the radar of several top clubs in England's top flight.
According to The Athletic, Chelsea have since added Delap to a shortlist of five to 10 strikers ahead of 2025.
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What has Maresca had to say?
Chelsea are currently preparing to face Ipswich in the Premier League on Monday evening, looking to bounce back from suffering a 2-1 defeat to Fulham on Boxing Day.
Enzo Maresca is no stranger to having worked with Delap courtesy of their respective time featuring in Manchester City's academy setup.
The Italian was naturally quizzed on the development of the player at his pre-match press conference, waxing lyrical about a player who he feels can become an England international in the future.
He said, as quoted by football.london: "Liam is a fantastic player. Also for his age, we spent one year together. I think in that season, he scored 22 or 24 goals.
"This is a very good striker - as I've said many times, England are quite lucky because they have very good players, very good strikers, and it is working hard off the ball, on the ball he understands the game and he can score goals.
"Because of his age, I think he can be an important player for England."
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Could Chelsea move for Delap in January?
Given the ongoing speculation regarding Christopher Nkunku, it is plausible that Chelsea may enter the market for an alternative if the Frenchman is sold or loaned out.
Nevertheless, the report adds that it is highly unlikely that Ipswich would consider any bids for Delap before the end of 2024-25 as they bid to remain in the Premier League.
Having lost 1-0 to Arsenal on Friday night, the Tractor Boys sit in 19th position in the Premier League table, three points adrift of safety.
Darren Plant
