Manchester City set asking price for 60-goal striker amid Premier League interest | OneFootball

Southampton have joined the race to sign Manchester City striker Liam Delap this summer.

The 21-year-old spent the recent 2023/24 campaign at the MKM Stadium on a season-long loan with Hull City, where the striker enjoyed his third spell in the Sky Bet Championship, following previous loans at both Stoke City and Preston North End.

The England Under-21 international made 32 appearances for Hull last term, and was directly involved in 10 Championship goals, scoring on eight occasions and assisting twice, with the forward having already scored 60 career goals.

Delap has been directly involved in 78 goals in 139 career appearances, and famously scored on debut for Pep Guardiola’s side in 2020, netting during a 2-1 win over AFC Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium in the Carabao Cup.

The striker is contracted at the Etihad Stadium until 2026 and has featured six times for the Manchester City first-team, making his UEFA Champions League debut against Sporting Lisbon in 2022 and Premier League debut against Leicester City.

The Englishman scored 32 goals in 32 Premier League 2 appearances for the Manchester City EDS, and was also directly involved in 14 goals in 18 Under-18 Premier League showings as a teenager.

The 21-year-old is unlikely to be afforded any opportunities by Manchester City next season but could still play Premier League football, with Southampton reportedly interested in completing a second summer signing from the Etihad Stadium.

Football Insider claim that the Saints are ‘stepping up’ their pursuit of the 2003-born striker, with Etihad bosses ‘willing’ to sanction a £20 million sale of Delap this summer, impacting Hull’s ambitions of re-signing the 21-year-old for a second successive season.

Southampton have completed a series of past signings from the City Football Academy, including signing centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis this month for £20 million, after the Englishman helped the Saints earn top-flight promotion.