Chelsea have made sweeping changes during a busy summer as Xabi Alonso reshapes the squad ahead of the new Premier League season.
The Blues entered the window after a difficult 2025/26 campaign, which saw managerial upheaval and a disappointing 10th-place league finish.
Alonso has since overseen another major rebuild, with Chelsea breaking their transfer record to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for £ 117 million.
Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra, Valentín Barco, Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson have also joined the squad this summer.
Chelsea have also allowed several players to move elsewhere. And another departure could now take place before the transfer window closes.
The club appear ready to sanction an exit for a young forward who does not feature prominently in Alonso’s long-term plans.
According to Football Insider, Chelsea have given Liam Delap the green light to leave Stamford Bridge. Newcastle United remain firmly interested in signing him.
Alonso does not consider the 23-year-old part of his long-term plans and left him out of Chelsea’s final preseason game against Real Sociedad.
Delap himself appears receptive to Newcastle’s interest and would reportedly welcome the opportunity to move to St James’ Park.
The existing competition for attacking places at Newcastle would not discourage him from pursuing the switch either.
Newcastle’s interest is not new, having already considered Delap before the striker ultimately decided to join Chelsea last summer.
Everton and Nottingham Forest have also shown interest. Meanwhile, Delap has made his preference to remain in the Premier League clear.
However, Chelsea’s asking price could complicate Newcastle’s attempts to complete the transfer before the summer window closes.
Recent reports suggest Chelsea could demand as much as £50million for Delap. Agreeing a fee remains the main ‘sticking point’.
Delap endured a difficult Premier League campaign last season, scoring only once across his 28 appearances for Chelsea.
Despite those struggles, Newcastle remain interested and Delap appears equally keen on the prospect of moving to the North East.
A deal could therefore depend on whether Chelsea lower their demands enough for Newcastle to reach an agreement in the coming weeks.
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