Liam Delap to Liverpool takes STRONG step forward

Liverpool want to sign Liam Delap from Ipswich Town and a move for the striker has taken a real step forward.

Liverpool are one of the teams hoping to sign Liam Delap this summer. The English forward isn't sitting pretty at the top of their shortlist but he is on that list.

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We've written before that it's a very good chance for Richard Hughes to completely rebuild Liverpool's attacking options. Why not take advantage of the £30m release clause to grab two strikers this summer?

Delap is arguably the best value-for-money forward on the market right now. Perhaps only Jonathan David, available on a free transfer from Lille, can rival him for that.

Liverpool should think about that one, too, by the way.

Someone like Alexander Isak will cost an absolute fortune, of course, and there's now talk that even Hugo Ekitike could move for €100m. £30m for Delap, then, feels like a bit of a steal.

Liverpool already have something of an advantage in the race for Delap, too. Newcastle United will reportedly struggle to sign him as Isak blocks the path for any no.9 arriving this summer.

It essentially rules the Magpies out of the running. And now there's another reason for Liverpool to feel confident.

READ MORE: Hugo Ekitike is BEGGING to be Liverpool's first €100m signing

Liverpool have another Liam Delap advantage

The Daily Star now claims that Delap isn't keen on a move to Manchester United as he wants to move into European football. United can only offer that if they win the UEFA Europa League this season.

We'll see how likely that is.

Liverpool, along with Chelsea and Arsenal, can guarantee European football, though. UEFA Champions League football, even.

It means the Reds are shaping up to be something of an ideal destination. There's no established superstar upfront, giving Delap a clear passage into the first team.

At the same time, they can guarantee the highest level of football. Only really Arsenal can also offer this and it means this could all ultimately become a two-horse race.

If Liverpool truly want to sign Delap, we think the deal is there to be done. Time may not be on the Reds' side, though, as they'll want to sign another target before pivoting back to the 22-year-old.

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But Delap is a very real option and one that, by the sounds of it, could be comfortably convinced.