Liam Delap is waiting for the final Premier League table before making a decision on his future as he wants to play in Europe next season to boost his chances of making the cut for the 2026 World Cup.
The England youth international is one of the Premier League’s most sought-after players due to being available for just €35 million following Ipswich Town’s relegation back to the Championship.
Arsenal, too, are huge admirers of Delap and, as revealed by FootballTransfers, they have made an offer to his representatives, outlining their plan for the young striker.
Delap has yet to choose his next club as he is prioritising European football and wants to wait and see how the Premier League table shapes up. Journalist Ben Jacobs has now revealed just why Delap is so desperate to play in Europe next season.
Delap wants to go to the 2026 World Cup
Speaking on The Football Terrace YouTube channel, Jacobs revealed that Delap is gunning for a spot in Thomas Tuchel’s 2026 World Cup squad and wants to make sure that he plays regularly – and in high-stakes games – in the build-up to the tournament.
This is why Delap is likely to prioritise the U21 European Championship this summer over the Club World Cup should he end up joining Chelsea. It also means that Arsenal may struggle to convince him to make the move to North London as they plan to use him as an understudy to a more experienced striker.
“He’s young, why is he so impatient, why is it [European football] such a dealbreaker? The reason is England,” Jacobs explained. “Because you’re heading into a full season in the build-up to the 2026 World Cup, and this is why I sense that Delap will want to go and play for England’s U21s over the Club World Cup if Chelsea is the end destination.
“As a young player that wants to be selected by Thomas Tuchel, it’s more important than ever in 2025/26 to Delap that he’s playing at a high level domestically and in Europe because he really wants to make that selection.
If he’s not playing Champions League or European football, it’s less games, less profile, it’s less opportunities to ultimately impress Tuchel, and that’s why next season is so important to Delap.”
Depending on how the race for the European spots shapes up, Delap may not make a final decision until the last Premier League matchday on May 25. However, he will have chosen his new club by the time the U21 Euros start on June 11.
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