Ipswich Town forward Liam Delap has been told to join Arsenal, despite the fact that his medical at Chelsea will take place on Sunday.
The England U21 international is on the verge of joining Enzo Maresca’s side for a fee of €35 million, after the Blues agreed to trigger the relegation release clause in his Ipswich contract, and he is expected to compete with Nicolas Jackson for a starting berth next season.
Ben Jacobs has revealed that Delap will undergo his Chelsea medical on Sunday, despite initial reports suggesting it would take place on Monday, and the deal is set to be confirmed during the pre-Club World Cup transfer window – which runs from 1-10 June.
Although Delap is now on the verge of joining Chelsea, he has been told to reject a move to Stamford Bridge in favour of joining Arsenal by former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie.
Liam Delap told to snub Chelsea
FootballTransfers understands that Mikel Arteta’s side were interested in signing Delap before his move to Chelsea was agreed, and Hendrie believes the Englishman should choose to join the Gunners this summer.
He told Football League World: “I think with the way Chelsea work and the way that the club has gone for quite some time, there’s no doubt that they are on the up and that they have had a platform where they’ve brought a lot of players in and obviously they’ve shipped a lot out as well.
“But I think if Liam Delap goes there, I’m pretty sure that all the clubs will be sniffing around him, I personally think he should go to Arsenal because they’re desperate for a centre-forward.
“He’s young, they’ll probably get him for decent money, he’s got a release clause in his contract, so for me I’d be swaying towards Arsenal.
“Listen, Chelsea are a fantastic football club and they’re probably in need of an out-and-out striker, I don’t feel they’ve had one for quite some time. He might be just the difference.
“But my only concern there is if he is going to the game time he has done this season, and that’s why people are talking about him.”
Delap scored 12 goals in 37 Premier League appearances during the 2024-25 campaign and he is set to become Chelsea’s new starting centre forward next year.
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