Everton's Quest for Liam Delap: A Record-Breaking Transfer Looms

Everton have been told exactly what it will cost to finally get Liam Delap – and it is a figure that would rip up their transfer history.

Chelsea have set the bar at around £40million for the 23-year-old, a price that would make him the most expensive centre-forward Everton have ever signed and place him among the club’s elite bracket of deals. For a striker with three goals in all competitions last season, it is a bold valuation. Chelsea, though, are standing firm.

A crowded queue for Delap

Everton are not alone. Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United are also at the front of the line, with Leeds United watching from a distance.

At Forest, Oliver Glasner has made his intentions clear. His teams play with a focal point, a proper No.9 to pin defenders and occupy centre-backs. He had Jean-Philippe Mateta at Crystal Palace. At Forest, he has already pushed through a club-record £48million move for Jorgen Strand Larsen. Now he wants Delap as another central pillar of his attack, and owner Evangelos Marinakis is ready to back him again in the market.

Newcastle’s interest comes at a more uncertain moment. Eddie Howe walked away on Thursday after five years in charge, leaving the club without a permanent manager. Their preferred candidate, 38-year-old Matthias Jaissle of Al Ahli, has yet to be installed. Recruitment plans are being drawn up against a moving backdrop, but Delap remains a live target.

Leeds are in a different lane entirely. They like Delap, see him as competition and support for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but their finances are stretched. The focus at Elland Road is on trying to push through a record £40million deal for goalkeeper James Trafford. Matching Chelsea’s asking price for a striker at the same time would be a major stretch.

Chelsea dig in

Chelsea’s stance is simple: they are not ready to cut their losses after one season.

Delap arrived at Stamford Bridge for around £30million and, despite a difficult campaign – one Premier League goal in 28 games, two in 41 in all competitions – the club believe his value has not dipped. They want a £40million fee, banking a £10million profit, or he stays.

The change on the touchline has added another twist. Delap initially chose Chelsea over Everton and others because of the lure of Champions League football and the chance to work again with Enzo Maresca, his former coach at Manchester City. That reunion barely got going. Maresca left on New Year’s Day, Liam Rosenior came and went inside four months of a six-and-a-half-year deal, and now Xabi Alonso has been handed the job.

A new manager brings new ideas, new systems, and fresh assessments of the squad. Whether Alonso sees Delap as part of his rebuild will go a long way to deciding how hard Chelsea cling to that £40million tag.

Everton’s dilemma

For Everton, the numbers are stark.

Their current record signing remains Gylfi Sigurdsson at £45million, almost nine years on from his arrival. The most they have paid for a centre-forward is £35million – the initial fees for both Richarlison and Tyler Dibling. Matching Chelsea’s demand for Delap would push him beyond that, into a bracket reserved for players expected to transform a team.

The attraction is obvious. Delap’s loan spell at Ipswich Town in 2024/25 showed what he can do with regular minutes and a settled role. He hit 12 Premier League goals in a side that went straight back down, a rare bright light in a relegated team. That form triggered a £30million relegation release clause, opening the door to a summer scramble.

Everton were there. They saw an opportunity to build their new era at Hill Dickinson Stadium around a young, Premier League-ready striker. The pitch was clear: come here, be the main man, lead the line for a club about to step into a new home and a new chapter.

David Moyes, not usually one to talk openly about transfer targets, made an exception. He confirmed talks had taken place and admitted Everton were in a fight.

“We’ve had a chance to speak to him, yes. He spoke to three or four clubs,” Moyes said. “He’s given us our opportunity to pitch our case. We’re probably a little bit behind the black ball but hopefully, you never know what happens.”

What happened was Chelsea. Champions League football. London. A familiar coach in Maresca. Delap chose Stamford Bridge.

A second chance – at a higher price

Now Everton are back at the table, but the landscape has shifted. The release clause has gone. The fee has risen. And the competition has hardened.

Forest can offer a clearly defined role in Glasner’s system and an ownership willing to spend. Newcastle, once they settle on a new head coach, have the financial muscle and the ambition to move quickly. Leeds, while admiring from afar, are constrained by their own big-money goalkeeping pursuit.

Everton must decide whether Delap is the striker to justify breaking their own mould. Is a forward with one league goal for Chelsea but 12 for a relegated Ipswich worth a fee that would rewrite their record books? Or does the weight of that price risk crushing a player still finding his way at the very top level?

Chelsea, for now, are unmoved. They can point to his age, his physical profile, his Premier League experience, and the potential Alonso might unlock. They do not need to sell, and they certainly do not feel compelled to discount.

So the equation is clear. If Everton truly want Liam Delap this time, they will have to pay a price that says he is not just part of the future at Hill Dickinson Stadium, but the face of it.