'Arsenal out on their own over Liam Delap transfer in major update'

Liam Delap is attracting massive transfer interest at Ipswich Town this season and now a striking update has emerged on his chances of moving to Arsenal.

The striker only moved to Portman Road in the summer, when he signed on a permanent deal from Man City.

Although his new side look destined to suffer an immediate relegation back to the Championship, Delap himself has impressed while leading the line for Kieran McKenna's side.

That has led to plenty of transfer interest in the striker, with Man United and Chelsea understood to be among those leading the race to sign Delap.

Arsenal not in the race for Liam Delap

While it appears as though the likes of the Red Devils are set to face plenty of competition to sign Delap, that appears unlikely to come from Arsenal who are in a unique position in the top flight.

According to a report from the Daily Mail, the Gunners are currently the only club in the Premier League who are not pursuing a deal to sign the 22-year-old.

It therefore seems as though he is one striker who will definitely not be making a move to the Emirates Stadium in the summer transfer window.

The Englishman signed a contract until the summer of 2029 when he made the switch to Portman Road back in July last year.

But interest grows, it has been revealed that Delap has a £30million relegation release clause in his Ipswich contract.

Kieran McKenna's side sit 18th in the Premier League table, 14 points from safety with six games to go meaning that clause is likely to become active in the near future.

Mikel Arteta may regret Gunners' transfer stance

Football Insider Verdict

As the only Premier League club not taking an interest in Delap, Arteta's side are very much out on their own here.

It does however feel like a bizarre stance for them to take, given the clamour there is for Arsenal to sign a centre-forward in the summer.

Not bringing in a new option in that position during the January window has badly hurt the Gunners in what looks like being a failed attempt to hunt down Liverpool in the Premier League title race.

The signing of Delap would therefore be a sensible one, giving them a proven option at this level, at a price that will likely be cheaper than most other targets given the clause in his deal.

That would then aid Arsenal by giving them more funds to secure other signings, providing them with an even stronger squad to challenge with next season.

With that in mind, a decision not to pursue the signing of Delap this summer is one that risks being costly for Arteta.