Race for Chelsea striker heats up as Leeds join Premier League battle

Leeds United have joined the race to sign Chelsea striker Liam Delap and have held talks over a potential deal for the former England Under-21 international, TEAMtalk can reveal.

Delap, 23, has been told he can leave Stamford Bridge this summer, with Chelsea having set an asking price of £40million, as previously revealed by TEAMtalk.

Everton have been leading the chase for the striker, who is looking for a move where he can secure regular first-team football.

However, Leeds have now entered the picture and TEAMtalk understands they have held discussions over the possibility of bringing former Manchester City centre-forward Delap back to the north of England.

That is a major attraction for the player, with Delap having made it clear that his preference is to remain in England and ideally move back north. TEAMtalk understands that was one of the reasons he rejected interest from Italian club Como.

A number of Premier League clubs have been exploring a move this summer, with Everton, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United and Aston Villa all having conversations over Delap’s situation.

Forest, like Everton, have continued to push in recent weeks, but Leeds are now firmly in the race and are assessing whether they can make a deal work.

Chelsea remain open to selling and are holding to their £40m valuation for now, while Delap’s priority is finding the right club rather than simply securing an exit from Stamford Bridge.

The arrival of further competition for his signature could now help shape the next stage of the transfer, with Leeds joining an increasingly crowded field.

Delap is expected to leave Chelsea before the end of the window, but the battle for his signature is now wide open.

Meanwhile, my colleague, Fraser Fletcher, has detailed Xabi Alonso’s stance on Chelsea selling fellow No 9 Nicolas Jackson.

Elsewhere, Leeds reportedly have three targets in mind after announcing summer signing No 4.