Everton are eyeing a summer move for Chelsea forward Liam Delap after a disappointing first season at Stamford Bridge.
Delap only joined the Blues from Ipswich Town last summer, completing a £30m move after an impressive Premier League campaign with the Tractor Boys, scoring 12 league goals.
The 23-year-old has struggled to make an impact in west London, though, not coming close to that goal-scoring tally with his new club.
Delap has scored just one Premier League goal in 27 appearances, netting twice in 40 outings across all competitions.
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The former Manchester City forward has struggled to command a place in the starting XI, but 12 of his 27 league appearances have come from the start.
The England Under-21 international signed a six-year contract with Chelsea less than 12 months ago, but he could be on his way out of the club this summer.
The Sun report that the striker is one of Everton’s top targets in the upcoming transfer window, along with making Jack Grealish’s loan move from Manchester City permanent.
Former Everton striker Louis Saha has backed the move for Delap, feeling that he will be more likely to fulfil his potential there than at Chelsea.
Much will depend on how new Blues manager Xabi Alonso rates Delap, but Saha has talked up a move to Merseyside.
‘Chelsea’s strategy is a bit messy,’ Saha said via Compare.Bet. ‘They’ve mixed a lot of profiles without really thinking it through, hoping something special would come out of it. But that’s not how football works.
‘This sometimes leads to bad consequences and can destroy the confidence of many players, and Liam Delap has been one of them.
‘I do think that Everton will bring him back to his high standard and can help him fulfil his potential. He’d definitely bring something different than Beto and Barry.
‘I think there are good things that will come out of this move if it materialises. I genuinely believe that Liam can be the type of striker who scores 20 goals if he’s given the right chance.’
Everton manager David Moyes has made no secret of the fact he wants the club’s owners to spend big this summer as he wants to push forward and challenge for Europe next season.
‘I believe that’s what we need to do and I also want the ownership to show that as well,’ he said.
‘I want them to come out and show, “We’re here, we’re going again, we’re supporting you”.
‘And by the way, you can’t always just keep spending bundles of cash, you have to get some rewards for it somewhere along the line.
‘But I hope we can add to what we’ve got. I hope we can excite the supporters a little bit with what we’re trying to do.’
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