Chelsea are reportedly keen to still sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike despite closing in on a deal for Liam Delap.
Mail Sport reported on Thursday how the Blues, still riding high off their Conference League triumph, are set to win the race to sign Ipswich forward Delap.
The 22-year-old had major interest from Man United, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and Everton, but he will link up with his former Man City youth coach Enzo Maresca and sign a long-term contract after Chelsea reached an agreement over his £30million release clause.
With the pending addition of Delap to complement Nicolas Jackson in attack, it was expected in some quarters that Chelsea's summer business would now focus on other areas after they had been linked to Ekitike.
However, according to Sky Sports Germany's Florian Plettenberg, the Delap transfer does not impact their interest in the young French striker.
The report claims Chelsea are still pushing to sign Ekitike, although they face competition from several clubs, including Liverpool, who have held talks over his signing.
Ekitke joined PSG as a 20-year-old after impressing at Reims, although he struggled for gametime at the Parc des Princes.
But since moving to Germany, Ekitike has shown just why he is so highly rated - and he has scored 22 goals and added 12 assists in 48 games this season.
Chelsea are believed to be ahead of their domestic rivals in the battle for Ekitke, who is valued at €100million (£84m) by Frankfurt.
This is because Liverpool are focused on completing the additions of Bayer Leverkusen pair Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz.
Meanwhile, despite Maresca favouring a system that has just one striker, Ekitike may not be the only addition on top of Delap.
The Blues are also reportedly attempting to complete a deal to sign Strasbourg forward Emanuel Emegha.
Emegha, a Netherlands Under 21 international, has netted 14 times in 27 Ligue 1 matches in 2024-25 and a potential move to Chelsea could come in 2026.
Meanwhile, as part of the Delap transfer, talks are also ongoing over the possibility of Chelsea forward Marc Guiu going to Ipswich on loan in a separate deal.
Maresca is believed to have spoken with Delap as Chelsea pitched their project after he was given permission by his club to speak with suitors. Personal terms are expected to be a formality.
Ipswich paid £20m when they signed Delap from City last summer, and Pep Guardiola's side will bank 30 per cent of the fee as per their sell-on clause.
The Blues are keen to get their business done early, with FIFA having introduced a June 1-10 transfer window before the Club World Cup.
That tournament clashes with the Under-21 European Championship in Slovakia this summer, but Chelsea would have the power to keep Delap with them if he is signed.
Delap scored 12 Premier League goals for Ipswich as they were relegated to the Championship.