Chelsea transfer news: Everton 'accelerate' plans to sign Blues forward

Everton have reportedly decided to press ahead with their efforts to sign Chelsea forward Liam Delap.

The Toffees are no strangers to doing business with Chelsea over the past 12 months, with one of the deals involving Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall proving to be a success.

Meanwhile, Everton also have the option of signing Tyrique George after the Blues prospect spent the second half of 2025-26 on loan at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

At this point in time, the likely outcome is Everton trying to re-negotiate a fee for the starlet, but they also have to take into account their interest in Delap.

According to Football Insider, David Moyes is keen to get a deal for the striker over the line.

Everton take step towards signing Chelsea forward Delap

The report alleges that the Merseyside outfit have gone as far as offering a contract to the 23-year-old.

Delap is said to be keen to prove himself at Chelsea, but it is more likely that he will be moved on by the West Londoners.

Not only does Xabi Alonso theoretically have Joao Pedro, Nicolas Jackson and Emanuel Emegha as his centre-forward options for next season, Delap scored just twice in 2025-26 and has not netted since January.

Everton are seemingly keen to see if they can agree personal terms with the former Ipswich Town star before following up with a formal offer to Chelsea.

Previous reports have indicated that Chelsea chiefs BlueCo would want to make a profit on the £30m that they paid for Delap last summer.

However, that appears highly unrealistic at this stage of the transfer window, particularly when it is known that they need to facilitate sales to comply with the relevant financial regulations.

What fee should Chelsea demand for Delap?

For Chelsea to avoid making a loss on their accounts with any deal for Delap, they would need to recoup at least £25m.

There is also the option of demanding a £5m loan fee, but it is debatable whether Everton would want to pay that high for just one season.

Despite last season's form, there will be enough interest in Delap where clubs are willing to meet either of those figures, so Chelsea should not feel that they have to rush into a deal.