Liverpool working on hijacking Chelsea deal for “confident” £40m attacker

In a move that would see them get one over on their rivals, Liverpool are now reportedly working on hijacking Chelsea’s deal to sign an attacking reinforcement worth £40m this summer.

Liverpool plotting Chelsea hijack

After a week to forget, Liverpool’s problems have become clearer than ever under Arne Slot even as they remain on course to become dominant Premier League champions. The Dutchman watched on as his side suffered Champions League defeat at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain on penalties before they were shocked by Newcastle United at Wembley.

One common theme occurred in both defeats and that was Liverpool’s need for an attacking spark other than Mohamed Salah. When it hasn’t been the Egyptian in the last two games, the Reds have been unable to fall back on the likes of Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez – sparking serious questions over their No.9 role.

Several candidates to take hold of that role have already threatened to steal the headlines in recent weeks, with Alexander Isak‘s name sitting top of that list. However, it’s not just the Swede who seemingly finds himself on Richard Hughes’ shortlist.

According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool are now working on a deal to sign Liam Delap from Ipswich Town after establishing contact with the former Manchester City striker in an attempt to steal in ahead of Chelsea.

Delap, valued at £40m, represents a far cheaper option than the likes of Isak and a player who has continued his personal rise despite Ipswich’s Premier League struggles.

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He’s a future star…

Those at Anfield will hope their status as champions-elect is enough to lure Delap into a move over Chelsea and others this summer in what would hand them a much-needed attacking improvement. There’s also every chance that any deal becomes far more feasible if Ipswich are relegated this season, as looks likely to be the case.

“Confident” Delap would be instant upgrade

Whilst Nunez, Jota and Diaz have struggled to benefit from the league’s best creator in Salah, Delap has dragged Ipswich’s attack forward at times despite often going without the rewards for doing just that. Swap roles with those aforementioned Liverpool stars and there’s every chance that the former Man City man would not leave chances to waste on stages such as Wembley and a shot at silverware.

The only striker of the three to outperform on expected goals in the Premier League this season, it’s clear that Delap is performing in the area that Jota and Nunez have so far failed in the current campaign.

Earning plenty of praise as a result, Alan Shearer said when asked about Delap in January: “He held the ball up, he ran in behind and when his team were under pressure he won free-kicks to ease that pressure. He was a nuisance to play against. I loved his aggression right from the off.

“He has got eight goals this season and Ipswich have only scored 20 themselves. That tells you how impressive he has been. You’ve got a really confident, young footballer who is only going to get better.”