Manchester City have reportedly established whether they consider Ipswich Town forward Liam Delap to be a future transfer target.
The Premier League champions are currently enduring the worst run of the Pep Guardiola era, suffering five defeats in a row in all competitions.
Injuries to key players across defence and midfield is partly responsible, while an argument could be made that possessing an ever-ageing squad has proven to be another factor.
Nevertheless, with money in the bank from the sale of Julian Alvarez and an array of homegrown talent, Guardiola is in a position where he can strengthen his squad in January should he so wish.
A central-midfielder is likely to be at the top of his wishlist as he bids to replace the injured Rodri, yet speculation has emerged that reuniting with Delap to provide backup to Erling Haaland is a scenario being considered.
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What is Man City's Delap stance?
When City allowed the England Under-21 international to move to Ipswich in a £20m deal in the summer, negotiations were aided through City being able to insert a buyback clause.
A fee of £30m would be required to activate that option, City able to bring a young homegrown talent back into the fold and Ipswich making a substantial quick profit having the potential to benefit all parties.
Nevertheless, according to GIVEMESPORT, City have no intention of approaching Ipswich regarding a deal in January.
The report suggests that Guardiola is currently not interested in bringing a player back to the Etihad Stadium that has not featured for the first team since 2021-22.
Delap was instead loaned out to Championship clubs on three occasions, contributing just 12 goals from 68 appearances before hitting the ground running during his early months in East Anglia.
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Snub a blessing in disguise?
Ipswich fans would have questioned why Kieran McKenna was prepared to commit a large chunk of his budget to winning the race for Delap, as well as the player being handed a five-year contract.
However, such as been the level of his performances that the 21-year-old is now being viewed as a future long-term replacement for Harry Kane with England and has been linked with Chelsea.
Six goals and one assist have come from his 12 Premier League outings during 2024-25, most notably scoring a double in a 2-2 draw with Aston Villa and a strike in a 2-1 triumph at Tottenham Hotspur.
Any move to City would have led to his game time and overall development being significantly restricted, with the home of the Tractor Boys the best place for Delap at this stage of his career.
Darren Plant
