A new report has revealed that Premier League holders Manchester City could make millions off Liam Delap this summer – despite him only appearing for them six times.
The striker spent four years at Manchester City during which he went on loan three times and struggled to break into the first team. Having moved to Ipswich Town ahead of this season, Liam Delap has shone as the standout performer in a desperately struggling side.
He has scored 12 goals, much more than his fair share of Ipswich’s 31 in the league, including netting to help secure their first home Premier League win since 2002. Ipswich have only won four games this season, and he has scored in three of them.
Delap has been instrumental for the Tractor Boys, but it looks increasingly like not even he can save them from relegation. They are 12 points from safety with seven games to play.
It’s tough to see Delap heading to the Championship with Ipswich, and a possible swoop by a Premier League team would be lucrative for his former club too.
Man City will earn millions from Liam Delap sell-on clause
According to The Guardian, City have a sell-on clause that would give them 20% of any transfer fee Ipswich get for Delap. If Ipswich are relegated as expected, his release clause drops to £30m – meaning a £6m windfall for City in the event of a move.
Considering that Pep Guardiola’s team already received £15m plus a potential £5m in add-ons from Ipswich for Delap’s services, a player who only managed a handful of games for City is turning into quite the cash cow.
The striker’s potential with stronger service is clear, and if he were to go on the market for £30m, there could be several suitors. Manchester United are in the market for centre-forwards, and Chelsea are also rumoured to be interested.
Delap cash could help fund Kevin de Bruyne replacement
That windfall could be useful as City seek to replace Kevin de Bruyne. Though their midfield should be reinforced by the return of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri in the coming months, De Bruyne’s influence cannot be underestimated.
| Metric | Rank in City’s squad |
| Big chances created | Joint 1st |
| Assists | 2nd |
| Shots on target per 90 | 3rd |
| xA (Expected assists) per 90 | 1st |
A fitting replacement won’t come cheap. The Athletic report that Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz are under consideration. However, Forest would surely want to make a healthy profit off the £42.5m they paid to sign Gibbs-White from Wolves in 2022 and The Athletic say Leverkusen want as much as £129m (€150m) for Wirtz.
Of course, City could try to adapt to De Bruyne’s absence by trying out Jack Grealish or Phil Foden in his role and signing potentially cheaper backups in their traditional positions. However, that seems a significant gamble as they look to reclaim their Premier League title. Any cash they can get in will be valuable as they debate how to piece together their midfield, and they will follow Delap’s movements with interest.
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