Manchester City open to idea of re-signing £15 million attacker sold only one year ago

A new report has claimed that Manchester City bosses would not be opposed to re-signing Liam Delap from Ipswich Town during the upcoming summer market.

The next summer transfer window is widely believed to be one of significant change for Etihad Stadium officials, who are intent on ensuring Pep Guardiola’s squad remains competitive across all competitions for the next two seasons in particular.

Guardiola most recently committed his long-term future of Manchester City by signing a contract that will run until the summer of 2027, meaning that the Catalan coach is likely to oversee the rebuild of the team ahead of its time beyond his leadership at the club.

As part of that first-team rebuild, City transfer chiefs are likely to explore the possibility of recruitment in the centre of the park in particular, preparing themselves longer-term for life without Kevin De Bruyne – who could yet leave at the end of the ongoing season.

Elsewhere within the squad, a new report has pointed towards the attacking department, and after Julian Alvarez left for Atletico Madrid last summer, it seems as though Manchester City are intent on bringing in extra quality in the striking role.

According to the information of TBR Football, City have not ruled out bringing Liam Delap back to the football club in 2025, despite potential competition from the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle United, and Brighton & Hove Albion.

It is explained that City bosses are ‘delighted’ to see Delap’s progress in the Premier League and are paying particularly close attention to his performances for Ipswich Town. But how would Delap himself feel about a return to the Etihad Stadium?

The report claims that the 21-year-old would be interested in that possibility and knows he could offer a different option with the ability to play wide or as a no 10, and could play in the same team as Erling Haaland as opposed to just acting as a back-up.

When Manchester City finalised an agreement to sell Liam Delap to Ipswich last summer, it is highlighted that the Premier League champions included a sell-on clause worth around 20 per cent and a buy-back clause in excess of £30 million.

Delap spent 10 years with Derby County’s youth academy from the age of six, before joining City’s system in 2019, making his first-team debut in September 2020 during a 2–1 home win against AFC Bournemouth in the EFL Cup, scoring his first senior goal in the process.

Pep Guardiola would go on to confirm that Delap would remain with his Manchester City first-team squad, and just three days later, the striker went on to make his Premier League debut in a 2-5 home defeat by Leicester City.

Loan spells with Stoke City, Preston North End, and Hull City brought varying degrees of success for Delap at the senior level of the game, whilst the financial investment made by Ipswich Town and settled environment has reaped the most rewards thus far in his career.