Chelsea's interest in signing Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike has supposedly not dwindled despite their agreement for Ipswich Town's Liam Delap.
The Blues are believed to have won the race to sign the highly-rated Delap, having signalled their intention to trigger the £30m release clause in his Portman Road contract.
Delap's modest clause came into effect after Kieran McKenna's men were relegated from the Premier League, and Chelsea have beaten six other interested clubs to his signature.
The former Manchester City man will now prepare to undergo his medical and sign his contract with the Conference League champions, where he will compete with Nicolas Jackson for the number nine spot.
With both Delap and Jackson fighting for minutes, the natural expectation would be for Chelsea to abandon their search for other centre-forwards and use the remainder of their funds elsewhere.
Chelsea 'still pushing' for Ekitike signing despite Delap deal
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However, according to Sky Deutschland journalist Florian Plettenberg, Chelsea are still 'pushing' to bring Ekitike to the English capital regardless of what happens with Delap.
Twenty-two-year-old Ekitike first came onto the scene with Reims in Ligue 1, where his form earned him a marquee transfer to Paris Saint-Germain on loan in 2022.
Ekitike's move to the Parc des Princes was made permanent the following summer, but he failed to make the grade in the French capital, scoring just four goals in 33 appearances in all tournaments.
PSG sanctioned the striker's permanent move to Frankfurt for a mere £13.9m last summer after a loan spell in the second half of the 2023-24 campaign, and he has revived his career magnificently with Die Adler.
Ekitike amassed a terrific 34 goal contributions from 48 matches for Frankfurt last season - 22 of his own and 12 assists - but the German giants are thought to want a mammoth £84m to let him leave.
Which players could Chelsea sell to fund Ekitike move?
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Chelsea will likely have no problem bowing to Frankfurt's financial demands if the conditions for a deal are right, and the Blues could raise the necessary funds through a few high-profile exits.
Christopher Nkunku's time in West London has been underwhelming, and the former RB Leipzig attacker is expected to depart on a permanent deal before the start of next season.
The futures of Raheem Sterling and Joao Felix must also be sorted out once the duo return from their loan spells at Arsenal and AC Milan respectively, while the out-of-favour Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Benoit Badiashile may be moved on too.
The Blues may also be able to save some money on wages by loaning out young striker Marc Guiu, who is understood to be of interest to Ipswich.
Ben Knapton
