Chelsea 'eye' Premier League striker pair worth £54m amid West Ham and Fulham interest

According to new reports, Chelsea are keen on signing both Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap and Brighton and Hove Albion’s Evan Ferguson in the January transfer window. The Blues have been linked to several strikers in the past few months, but they could swoop for Delap or Ferguson who are both younger than several other linked forwards.

Liam Delap recently made headlines as he scored one of Ipswich’s two goals in their 2-0 win against Chelsea on Monday night. He has scored seven league goals in 18 games for the Tractor Boys this season.

Meanwhile, Ferguson has struggled to break into Fabian Hurzeler’s team this season. He has made 12 appearances in the Premier League, scoring just one goal. However, according to TalkSport, the Blues are keen to bolster their front line with either Delap or Ferguson in an attempt to take some of the pressure off Nicolas Jackson.

The Chelsea man has scored nine goals in 18 Premier League games so far this year under Enzo Maresca. The report suggests that Chelsea continue to have a longstanding interest in Ferguson despite his poor form for the Seagulls this year. Meanwhile, it also suggests that they have sent scouts from Stamford Bridge to watch Delap play for Ipswich on several occasions.

Chelsea learn hefty price tag for Brighton star

Ferguson, 20, has been one of the most in-demand young strikers in world football after his break out season in 2022/23. He came into Brighton’s first team, and scored six goals in 19 games at the age of just 18. The report suggests that due to his high potential and young age, Brighton view Ferguson as a very expensive asset which could cause problems for Chelsea should they want to make a move for him.

The Seagulls reportedly value Ferguson at £80m-£100m despite his poor season under Hurzeler this year. The hefty price tag means that it would be unlikely that Chelsea could secure the services for Ferguson in January. Recent reports have also linked both Fulham and West Ham to the Irish international. The Hammers have emerged as the favourites to sign him, but on a loan deal from the Amex.

Premier League rivals could buy back Liam Delap

Furthermore, it could also be tricky for Chelsea to secure Delap’s services as his former club Manchester City could buy him back from Ipswich.

The Englishman made the move from City to Ipswich in the summer for an initial fee of £20m. However, a buy-back clause was included in his contract, meaning that City could pay £30m for Delap to return to the Etihad without question. However, it was reported in November, that City have claimed that they aren’t going to buy-back the 21-year-old.