news-engine

Absolute Chelsea Como Show Interest In Second Chelsea Star This Summer After Chalobah Signing Liam Delap is facing fierce competition for striker spots at Chelsea, and a summer exit could be on the table. Serie A side Como have made a move to sign Chelsea striker Liam Delap, whose future at Stamford Bridge remains uncertain. Delap is among a dozen players who could leave Chelsea this summer, with new manager Xabi Alonso looking to trim his squad. Joining Chelsea from Ipswich Town last summer for a £30 million fee, the 23-year-old mostly played second fiddle to Joao Pedro, who remains the team’s first-choice number nine. His poor goalscoring record certainly did not help his case. Delap made 41 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea last season, scoring just twice and adding four assists. It was an underwhelming campaign for the striker, given that he scored 12 Premier League goals for Ipswich in 2024/25. His debut season at Stamford Bridge was also impacted by injury. This summer, the competition for striker spots is only getting fiercer, thanks to Danny Welbeck and Emmanuel Emegha’s arrivals and Nicolas Jackson’s loan return from Bayern Munich. As a result, Chelsea have placed valuations of £50m and £65m for Delap and Jackson, respectively, for potential suitors. Despite Aston Villa's interest in Jackson, Delap's exit may come first. Fabrizio Romano reports that Como have made an initial approach to sign Delap. He is understood to be high on their shortlist of striker targets. However, Gianluca Di Marzio reported that Como are considering signing the striker on a loan deal rather than permanently. It remains unclear whether Chelsea would agree to a loan move. They do have a good relationship with Como thanks to Trevoh Chalobah’s recent transfer to the Italian side this summer. Which strikers will Xabi Alonso keep in his squad? It remains unclear how many strikers Alonso wants to have in his squad, but Joao Pedro and Welbeck are expected to be the first and second choices in this role. As mentioned, Chelsea are open to offers for both Delap and Jackson. Meanwhile, Marc Guiu, who was left out of the pre-season tour of Australia and Asia, is expected to leave - whether that is on loan or permanently. He is valued at around £25m. Emegha missed out on the pre-season tour due to a hamstring injury. He has since returned to training at Cobham this week. It remains unclear whether he will stay at Chelsea this season. Emegha has struggled with injuries recently, missing 33 matches for Strasbourg last season, mostly due to hamstring-related issues, so keeping him carries risks. There is also the versatile Dastan Satpayev, who just turned 18 on August 12. Alonso mostly deployed the teenager as a left winger during the pre-season tour of Australia and Asia, but he could prove useful as a backup striker if Chelsea decide to keep him.