Liam Delap Subject To Growing Interest From Championship Club

This summer has been one of significant change for a number of Manchester City's top academy prospects.

As per new reports, Championship side Stoke City are the latest to be involved in interest concerning a City Football Academy prospect.

The Championship side have made their interest in Manchester City's exciting young striker Liam Delap clear.

As reported by Dan Sheldon of The Athletic, the Potters want the English youngster to join the club this summer, and will settle for a loan spell across the course of the coming season, as Manchester City have no intention of permitting a permanent move away from the club.

In additional reporting, transfer expect Fabrizio Romano details that the two sides are in fact in 'advanced talks, with Stoke being one of the more realistic teams in the running for the in-demand player.

Manchester City’s reluctance to sell the youngster should not come as a surprise to anyone.

Etihad officials are so convinced by the player's future prospects that they turned down a £16 million offer from fellow Premier League side Southampton earlier in the ongoing transfer window.

Had a move to the south coast club gone through, then Liam Delap would have been the third Manchester City player to join the Saints this summer alone, following in the path of Romeo Lavia and Gavin Bazunu.

Since making the move to the Etihad Stadium from Derby County in 2019, Liam Delap scored one goal in his six first-team appearances under Pep Guardiola, while being a constant starter in the club's academy system.

Across all competitions for youth set-up since joining the club three years ago, Liam Delap has scored a staggering 45 goals.

One of his greatest achievements apart from winning back-to-back Premier League 2 titles, was when he led the league with 24 goals in the 2020/21 campaign.

Liam Delap made one appearance for the Blues during their pre-season tour of the United States, substituting in for the recently debuted Julian Alvarez in the club’s friendly against Club America.

Outside of his club involvements, Delap has also registered several caps for England's under-19 team, with a notable performance coming in the final of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship, as he assisted Aaron Ramsey in the final goal of the Three Lions’ 3-1 win over Israel.

A move to Stoke City this summer would be bittersweet for the youngster, as his father Rory played with the Potters for six seasons.

Liam Delap however is not the only academy player who Pep Guardiola could send out on-loan this summer.

James McAtee may also leave Manchester City for the coming season, following a heavy influx of offers from teams in the Premier League, La Liga, and Eredivisie.