How Newcastle United could use genius secret weapon to get £30m first summer transfer deal done

Newcastle United are thought to be one of a number of clubs circling around in-demand Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap.

The 22-year-old has enjoyed a tremendous breakout season at Portman Road and has managed to register an impressive 12 goals in 34 top-flight appearances for a team languishing near the bottom of the table.

The former Manchester City prospect joined Ipswich last summer in a deal worth around £20m after an impressive loan stint at Hull City, but looks destined for a move away from Suffolk this summer after the Tractor Boys’ relegation back to the Championship, in what has ultimately been a dismal return to the top-flight for Kieran McKenna’s side.

Delap signed a five-year-contract when he arrived at Ipswich, which included a reported release clause of £40m. However, following the club’s demotion to the second-tier that clause has now gone down to just £30m and a number of clubs in need of a striker are taking note as they look to strengthen their teams ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Why Newcastle United are interested in Liam Delap

Newcastle United already have arguably one of the most gifted centre forwards in world football at their disposal in the form of Alexander Isak.

The Swedish international, who cost a club-record £63m back in 2022, has more than lived up to his price tag and is now the team’s second highest goalscorer of the Premier League era after finding the net 54 times in 84 league appearances, with 44 of those coming in the last two seasons.

Isak is central to the club’s plans and is not thought to be available at any price this summer, even with Champions League qualification still hanging in the balance.

However, outside of Isak, the club lack a bit of depth in the striker department, and with Callum Wilson having just a few months remaining on his contract, it’s likely Newcastle will be in the market to sign further competition, with the 33-year-old being limited to just 272 minutes of football, 15 league appearances and just one top-flight start after an avalanche of injury issues this term.

Delap could be the perfect successor to Wilson and the type of profile that would offer Newcastle something different in certain games, either as an impact substitute or as a rotation option during a jam-packed schedule of football, with a minimum of eight extra European games to contend with after the club’s Carabao Cup triumph.

The 22-year-old has ambitions of playing at the highest level and will want to be a part of the England squad by the time Thomas Tuchel selects his World Cup squad next summer.

Eddie Howe has proven his ability to harness talents with the likes of Wilson (at Bournemouth), Tino Livramento, Lewis Hall, Anthony Gordon, Joelinton and most recently Dan Burn all earning their first international caps at senior level under his stewardship.

Delap is a player that thrives in a physical battle, plays on the edge and has an incredible ability to drive past defenders and make things happen in the final third despite being viewed mainly as a target man and a goal poacher. He’s completed the 10th most take ons in the league this season (12) and has drawn the second most fouls (13) of any player in the division, via FBref.

Newcastle’s secret weapon that could sweeten a potential Liam Delap deal

Last summer, Newcastle United completed the £10m signing of Sheffield United youngster William Osula. The 21-year-old has already earned a status as a bit of a cult figure on Tyneside due to his fearless style of play and his excitable personality, with TV presenters Ant and Dec even admitting at the Carabao Cup trophy parade that they want to go on a night out with Will Osula.

Osula has had limited first team opportunities this season, with just 12 league appearances (all from the bench) and just three substitute appearances in the Carabao Cup.

The Danish Under-21 international, however, has shown glimpses of his incredible potential in his starts in the FA Cup, scoring a thunderous goal from the edge of the box against League Two Bromley in a 3-1 win while also thriving in the right-wing position at the next round with two assists during an entertaining 3-2 win over Birmingham City. He’s still very raw, but has bags of technical ability plus the ability to get fans off their seats and could benefit from a long run of games at Championship level to harness his full potential.

Eddie Howe clearly rates the youngster highly and told the Shields Gazette: “I think for us it's about being consistent with our development of him and we've tried to do that and be there for him, work with him because he's got rare skills. Not everyone has his ability and his attributes so it's about honing those skills and making sure we continue to get him ready for the rigours of the Premier League.”

From a Newcastle perspective signing Delap would boost the club’s attacking options and squad depth for Europe while Ipswich could have the opportunity to fill the void in their front line if they were able to acquire Osula on loan as part of the deal.

Ipswich saw first hand how good Osula can be on their last visit to St James’ Park as the youngster headed home his first league goal for the Magpies en route to a comfortable 3-0 victory which consigned the Suffolk side to relegation.

Whether Newcastle go with that kind of approach remains to be seen, as Howe can be a slow-burner when it comes to bedding in young players, as he proved with Lewis Hall after giving him limited opportunities last season before promoting him into a regular starter this term.

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