Chelsea contact Premier League club and open talks to sign £42 million star - sports news foot

Chelsea chiefs have been in club-to-club contact and “opened talks” with a Premier League side over signing their star player, following initial talks with his agents, as Stamford Bridge officials continue laying the groundwork for potential deals.

Chelsea transfer plans ahead of January and next summer

Enzo Maresca‘s men are flying high right now, sitting within four points of league-leading Liverpool at the top of the table, with Chelsea yet to lose a single top flight match since their face-off against Arne Slot’s side at Anfield in October.

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The west Londoners’ negotiations have been ongoing for a while.

Maresca, who continues to publicly refute suggestions that Chelsea are in this year’s title race, has guided them to four wins from their last four league games – and there is a very positive energy around the west London club following a topsy-turvy last two years since Clearlake Capital’s takeover.

A reoccurring theme of BlueCo and Todd Boehly‘s running of the club has been significant squad investment, which manages to stay in line with Financial Fair Play rules, and it is believed Chelsea hierarchy are planning to reinforce certain areas yet again over the next two transfer windows.

Reports this week have claimed that a new centre-back could become Chelsea’s main priority for incomings, as uncertainty surrounds the futures of both Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile, with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite joining the likes of Benfica’s Tomas Araujo, Antonio Silva, ex-Blue Marc Guehi and Man City star Ruben Dias on their shortlist for 2025.

That is according to very reliable Chelsea journalist Simon Phillips, writing via his Substack this week, with the reporter also sharing news on the club’s pursuit of a new striker today.

Phillips has previously shared their interest in Ipswich Town star Liam Delap, who has enjoyed an excellent campaign since signing for the newly-promoted Tractor Boys in a £20 million deal earlier this year.

Chelsea have been laying early groundwork over signing Delap ahead of next year, and scouts have been impressed by the Englishman’s run of six goals in 15 league games for a side who are battling near the foot of the table.

Now, Phillips writes that Chelsea are progressing their interest in Delap, following recent contact with the player’s representatives.

It is now believed that Chelsea have made contact with Ipswich and “opened talks” over signing Delap, mainly to gauge if the move is doable, when it could happen and how much it could cost the club in terms of capital.

Unsurprisingly, Ipswich are adamant that the ex-Man City gem won’t be sold in January, as they’re fighting against the drop and don’t want to lose their star player for the second half of 2024/2025.

Given Phillips broke news of Chelsea’s interest in Delap long before big-name journalists like The Athletic’s David Ornstein, this update should be taken pretty seriously.

The 21-year-old, who reportedly commands a £42 million price tag, also falls in line with Chelsea’s transfer strategy of buying young, high-value players with sky-high potential to grow in the coming years.

However, if Man City were to enter the race, the English champions would have an advantage to sign Delap over every other suitor when factoring in their £20 million buy-back clause.