Chelsea ‘directly tell’ £30m star ‘he’s available for sale’ after Xabi Alonso arrival – report | OneFootball

Chelsea have told Liam Delap that they want to sell him in the summer transfer window, according to a report, which has also revealed Newcastle United and Everton’s interest in him.

Delap joined Chelsea from Ipswich Town in the summer of 2025 after the London club’s owners, BlueCo, triggered the £30million release clause in his contract at the Tractor Boys.

There was interest from Delap from Man Utd, Everton and Newcastle, too, last summer.

Much was expected of the English striker at Stamford Bridge, but his debut campaign at Chelsea was a huge disappointment.

Hamstring and shoulder injuries affected Delap, who was able to score just two goals and provide only four assists in 41 matches in all competitions for Chelsea in the 2025/26 campaign.

There have already been suggestions of a potential swap deal involving Chelsea and Newcastle that would include Nick Woltemade moving to Stamford Bridge.

It has now emerged that Chelsea have told Delap that he has no place in the team under incoming manager Xabi Alonso.

Chelsea tell Liam Delap to leave

However, according to The Chelsea Forum on X, Delap does not want to leave Chelsea and has ‘bought a house in London’.

The account, which has almost 265,000 followers on X, ‘EXCL | Liam Delap bought a house in London.

‘That’s his answer to the exit talk.

‘Chelsea told him directly he’s available for sale.

‘Newcastle and Everton have been briefed on his availability.

‘His response, buying property, is either the most confident move a footballer can make or the most delusional.

‘Here’s the reality: two goals in 42 appearances. One league goal. Nothing since January.

‘Joao Pedro took his starting spot in October and never gave it back.

‘Emegha is arriving. Jackson is returning.

‘Alonso hasn’t even met the man yet and already has three strikers ahead of him in the pecking order.

‘Owning a house in London doesn’t change that.

‘What it does tell you is Delap won’t be pushed, whoever wants him will have to pay. #CFC”

Liam Delap urged to leave Chelsea

Former Chelsea midfielder Andy Townsend believes that the Blues could cash in on Delap.

Metro quotes Townsend as saying: “Liam Delap’s next club? Everton are desperate for a striker. They’ve got Beto and Tierno Barry, and neither of them are good enough, so Everton definitely need one.

“Liam at Chelsea, when compared to Ipswich, he’s always looked a little inhibited. Is it the way the team plays, or is it just being a higher-profile player now at a bigger club?

“Whenever he’s come on as a sub, he’s rarely had an impact.

“I’ve very rarely seen anything where I’ve thought, ‘Wow, now I can see what Chelsea have invested in’, I just haven’t seen anything from him yet, to be honest.

“But that happens, he’s not the first striker to go to a club where it doesn’t work out.

“For whatever reason, sometimes you can’t always put your finger on it. Certain players go to certain clubs, and it just doesn’t happen.

“Fernando Torres, moving from Liverpool to Chelsea, was a world apart. So, for Liam Delap, I think a move to somewhere where he’s going to be the main man, regular, and consistent is necessary, but he’s got to find a little bit more to his game.

“He’s looked like a Championship player trying to cut it at a top Premier League team and he’s looked awkward and it hasn’t just looked like it’s the right sort of fit.

“So I think he’s got to believe in himself a bit more. I’d like to think in the summer he will keep himself in really good nick in case something happens.

“But if I was him, I would be pushing to get away from Chelsea because if he’s not gonna play, you know, you can only sit on a bench for so long before too much of your game starts to disappear.

“So he needs to get playing now this year. And Everton are desperate for a striker. And if he goes in there and starts bashing in a few goals and starts looking like he’s aggressive they’ll love him there for that.

“I think that’s the Liam Delap that we all expected to see, but there’s been no signs of that at all at Chelsea.”