Ipswich Town fans will be pleased with the flurries of transfer activity that have happened already this window at Portman Road, especially when the news that Omari Hutchinson was to rejoin the club for a record fee filtered through.
Hutchinson is hoping to be joined by Hull City duo Jaden Philogene-Bidace and Jake Greaves in Suffolk, with the big spending continuing from a Tractor Boys perspective, as Kieran McKenna goes about adding strength all over the pitch to deal with the difficult task of staying afloat in the Premier League.
Philogene did look as though he was on his way to Everton after the Toffees had a bid of £16m accepted by the Tigers. However, David Ornstein has since reported that while Everton are still in the mix, Ipswich have agreed a deal of their own, worth around £18m.
There is another attacker Ipswich could sign, according to reports, with the striker in question highly praised by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola in the past.
Ipswich in talks with Man City ace
According to a report by the East Anglia Daily Times, Ipswich are in talks to sign young Man City ace Liam Delap this summer to bolster their centre-forward positions, with the reigning Premier League champions tempted to offload the promising 21-year-old for good.
Ipswich would have to meet a £10m valuation that has been placed above Delap's head by the elite club, however, alongside the fact they will need to beat the likes of Southampton who are queueing up in an attempt to win the youngster's services after also sealing promotion.
Delap could even link back up with former Hull teammates Philogene and Greaves if he does decide to relocate to Portman Road this off-season, with George Hirst being given adequate competition up top too, after the England U21 star shone in the Championship last campaign for the Tigers.
What Delap can offer Ipswich
Ipswich are in dire need of new striker recruits, with Kayden Jackson being let go of on the club's retained list alongside Freddie Ladapo looking to be moved on, and Delap could be the answer if they can secure his services.
The 21-year-old garnered a reputation at youth level for City as a cool and calm finisher, netting a ridiculous 32 goals from 32 Premier League 2 appearances whilst still learning the ropes with the U21s, with his Hull goal record making for even more encouraging reading from an Ipswich perspective.
Delap
76
13
2
Hirst
168
32
17
Sourced by Transfermarkt
Comparing the two strikers, Delap certainly has some catching up to do in the senior game when contrasted side-by-side with the 25-year-old's numbers, but the promising striker is fresh off his most prolific season to date in and around men's football.
Delap bagged eight goals from 32 Hull games, beating Hirst's goal total in the Championship by one in the process, which included the sublime strike below trickling its way into the Leicester City goal early on in the campaign.
Those eight goals would come about in league action for the 6 foot 1 forward despite the fact the Man City starlet only registered an xG of 6.31, with the 21-year-old excelling last season under the guidance of Liam Rosenior as an efficient finisher of chances.
He will want to spread his wings away from the Etihad Stadium soon on a permanent basis, with first-team opportunities obviously hard to come by at Man City in the attacking positions, but that doesn't mean Guardiola hasn't waxed lyrical about Delap in the past.
The daunting 53-year-old described Delap as being an "incredible" finisher back in 2022, during the height of his free-flowing days playing in the Man City youth set-up, with the Spaniard even labelling the 21-year-old as a "killer" in front of goal.
Ipswich will hope this version of Delap can come to the forefront at Portman Road next campaign, after showing signs of his goalscoring prowess with Hull, as the Tractor Boys eye up another remarkable achievement by staving off relegation in the Premier League.
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ByKelan SarsonJul 8, 2024