Champions League club fear Chelsea will hijack their deal for £70m striker

Even after Chelsea sealed the signing of Liam Delap from Ipswich Town for around £30 million, Enzo Maresca and co are still in the market for another centre-forward.

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Andrea Berta has shifted focus.

Delap made his debut for the Blues against Los Angeles FC in the Club World Cup, assisting Nicolas Jackson for Chelsea’s second goal of the game in a 2-0 win, with Levi Colwill and Tosin Adarabioyo heaping praise on the exciting striker signing after their match in Atlanta.

“I’ve known Liam for a long time now, and I’ve played against him loads of times. Growing up, you know what sort of players are going to make it and he was always one of those,” said Colwill, via the BBC.

“To have him in our team, to train against him, to see him score goals – which I know he will – I’m very excited.”

Tosin also drew attention to Delap’s aggression and intensity, with plenty of expectation now on the former Man City starlet’s shoulders after he took the number 9 shirt.

“He’s settled in very well. He’s a good young lad, and we know what qualities he brings,” said Tosin.

“He’s aggressive [when] pressing and an aggressive striker, making sure he’s always there, setting the intensity. Hopefully he scores many goals for us.”

While some doubts surround Delap’s readiness to lead the line, considering he’s still raw and very young, Chelsea are believed to be targeting a second frontman after the 22-year-old’s arrival.

Chelsea have held talks over Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike, who scored 22 goals in all competitions last season, and tried to secure the Frenchman’s signature in time for the Club World Cup, only for talks to collapse.

However, he remains “one to watch” for the coming weeks and talks are apparently ongoing.

As well as Ekitike, Chelsea are being linked with Brighton star Joao Pedro.

Newcastle United fear Chelsea will hijack Joao Pedro deal

The Brazil international is a wanted man following his impressive stint down south, with Chelsea identifying Pedro as one of their next striker targets before deadline day on September 1.

Now, talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook has shared an update on the situation.

Crook states that Newcastle are fearful that Chelsea will hijack their deal for Pedro, who Brighton are demanding £70 million for, as they look to reinforce Eddie Howe’s squad for a campaign back in the Champions League next season.

Given the Magpies’ internal concerns, this could be an indicator that Chelsea are still seriously in for Pedro, and the South American certainly falls in line with BlueCo’s recent transfer policy of signing world football’s most exciting talents.

Pedro can also play up front or across any of the attacking midfield positions, but given the already-young average age of Chelsea’s squad and their arguably dire need for more experienced squad members, Stamford Bridge chiefs will certainly be keen to whittle down the 23-year-old’s hefty asking price.