Ipswich sign Liam Delap from Man City in £20m deal

Ipswich Town have completed the signing of forward Liam Delap from Manchester City in a deal that could potentially reach £20m.

Delap, who has agreed to a five-year contract, will remain at Portman Road until the summer of 2029.

The 21-year-old, son of former Stoke midfielder Rory Delap, becomes Ipswich’s fourth acquisition of the summer transfer window.

Despite Southampton having their bid accepted for Delap, the player has chosen to join Kieran McKenna’s squad in an initial £15m transfer, with an additional £5m in potential add-ons included in the agreement.

“The manager here likes to play exciting football. It’s quick and intense and I am looking forward to that,” Delap told Ipswich’s website.

“I want to bring goals and assists and I’ll work as hard as I can to help the team.”

Delap made two appearances for Manchester City in the Premier League and spent last season on loan with Hull in the Championship, scoring eight goals in 32 appearances.

He previously had loan spells at Stoke and and has been capped by England Under-21s on five occasions, scoring on his debut away to Luxembourg last September.

Ipswich boss McKenna said Delap has the “qualities to help the team this season” and will be “an important player for the club for many years to come”.

“He is a player with outstanding physical and technical attributes who has a hunger to come here and continue to learn and improve,” McKenna added.

“He has gained good first-team experience from a young age and we feel he has the potential for development here.”

Ipswich Town is nearing the signing of Burnley goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, with the Kosovo international scheduled for a medical examination.

The clubs have reportedly settled on a fee of £10m plus up to £5m in potential add-ons for the 25-year-old, who transferred from Manchester City to Burnley in July 2022.

Muric began last season as Burnley’s primary goalkeeper but temporarily lost his spot to James Trafford before reclaiming it, featuring in 14 matches across all competitions.

Czech goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky served as Ipswich’s top goalkeeper last season as they secured promotion to the Premier League after a 22-year absence.

However, the 33-year-old opted to depart Ipswich when his contract expired at the end of June.