According to The Daily Mail, Newcastle United is one of several Premier League clubs interested in signing Ipswich Town star Liam Delap this summer.
The Magpies made more progress in their quest for Champions League qualification with a confident 3-0 victory over Leicester City last night at the King Power Stadium.
Newcastle are now fifth in the Premier League table, going ahead of Manchester City and matching Chelsea for points in fourth with still a game in hand over their competitors, so it is looking promising for the Geordies.
Eddie Howe’s men have already qualified for European football in the Conference League thanks to their Carabao Cup victory, but further enhancing their experience in Europe for next season would be a significant achievement.
Finishing the season on a high with Champions League football confirmed would put the North East giants in an incredible position in terms of their summer recruitment plans, as they will be able to compete comfortably for sought-after players in the market.
It was reported yesterday by The Daily Mail that Newcastle are one of the Premier League clubs interested in signing Ipswich Town star Liam Delap this summer.
The publication named Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea in the four-way battle to secure his signature; however, it is noted that several European clubs are also interested in the forward.
It is believed that Delap boasts a £40m release clause in his contract, but his former club Manchester City also have a buy-back option for £20m if they want to trigger that in the summer.
Should Newcastle sign Liam Delap?
Delap is one of the most talked about young talents in the Premier League this season and there is no doubt that he will be snapped up in the summer when Ipswich likely get relegated back to the Championship.
Over 30 Premier League appearances this season, the 22-year-old has scored 12 goals, registered two assists and created three big chances, as well as averaging two shots on goal, 4.7 duels and 1.2 successful dribbles per game, demonstrating his consistency in winning the ball in dangerous areas and his killer instinct for finishing.
Not only that, Delap has scored more goals than Liverpool’s Luis Diaz, Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson and Arsenal’s Kai Havertz this season, which is incredibly impressive for an inexperienced player at this level.
It is no secret that Howe has a keen eye for young English talent that have found themselves struggling to retain Premier League status, with former Leicester City ace Harvey Barnes a sound example of the Newcastle boss’ talent ID.
Barnes was relegated with Leicester in the summer of 2023, but was snapped up by Newcastle and has become an integral part of the first-team squad playing both in the Champions League and more recently, was part of the starting eleven beating Liverpool at Wembley to deliver the first major trophy in 70 years.
With that being said, Howe could now repeat his Barnes masterclass once again by saving Delap from the jaws of relegation with an opportunity to become part of the ambitious project on Tyneside.
Indeed, Newcastle will face tough competition for the Ipswich talent, but if they qualify for Champions League football in the coming weeks, there is no reason why it wouldn’t be an equally or more attractive move for the player.
