Arsenal rival Newcastle & Aston Villa for €40-50m transfer but another club has a big advantage | OneFootball

Arsenal are among a number of top clubs eyeing up the potential transfer of Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, CaughtOffside understands.

Sources with a close understanding of the player’s situation have informed CaughtOffside that Delap’s fine form in the Premier League has seen him attract interest from clubs in the Premier League and across Europe.

Arsenal are known to be assessing striker options on the market at the moment, with Newcastle’s Alexander Isak a priority target, but Delap is another name under consideration by the Gunners.

The 21-year-old has six goals in the Premier League so far this season, and finally seems to be finding his feet at this level after previously struggling for playing time while he was at Manchester City.

CaughtOffside understands that Arsenal are joined by the likes of Aston Villa, Newcastle, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Ajax and PSV as keeping an eye on Delap.

Liam Delap celebrates scoring for Ipswich against Brentford (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Sources state that Ipswich would likely ask for around €40-50m to let the England Under-21 international leave, but Man City could have an advantage here as they have the option to trigger a £20m buy-back clause.

What next for Liam Delap after his superb form for Ipswich?

It remains to be seen if City will choose to make use of that clause, but it could be smart business for the club to bring this top young player back to the Etihad Stadium on the cheap.

Even if City didn’t end up using Delap that often, they could presumably then sell him for a healthy profit with so many other clubs interested in him right now.

Arsenal fans will probably be hoping for their club to sign a more proven forward like Isak, but Delap could be a very decent alternative, especially as the Magpies front-man would be so expensive.

If Isak does leave Newcastle, they could then do well to bring in Delap as a replacement, while Villa might also benefit from adding some firepower to their squad after Jhon Duran’s slight dip in form following his strong start to the season.

Delap will surely prioritise playing time for his next move as he knows all too well how difficult it can be to break into a top team on a regular basis from his time on the books at City.