Chelsea lead Man Utd in the race for Delap, Blues have an ace up their sleeve | OneFootball

Chelsea are leading the race to sign Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap this summer, according to the Mirror.

Manchester United, Newcastle United and West Ham United are all interested in the 22-year-old, but the Blues are ahead of the queue.

Chelsea have a trump card in the race. Current Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca worked with him while they were at Manchester City alongside Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia.

He is also familiar with Chelsea recruitment chief Joe Shields.

Chelsea are looking for a new striker to challenge Nicolas Jackson, who has now gone 14 league games without a goal.

They are plotting a swoop for Delap, who has scored 12 in 31 appearances for the relegation-bound Tractor Boys since joining for £15 million over the summer.

Delap has taken the Premier League by storm and is one of the Ipswich players tipped to stay in the top flight if they are relegated.

He has a £40 million release clause, which drops to £30m if Ipswich go down, and the Blues will be tempted to activate it this summer.

However, while Delap has shone in the Premier League this season, the Blues need to sign a more established striker.

There’s no denying Delap’s raw talent or his impressive goal tally in a struggling side. But Chelsea cannot keep rolling the dice on potential.

The club has become a finishing school for promising players instead of a fortress for proven winners, and the buck stops with the myopic directors.

Chelsea will remain stuck in a disappointing cycle until the recruitment team stops shopping for projects and starts targeting proven performers.