Southampton are gearing up for a return to the Premier League, where they will be determined to show they have the quality to stay in the division.
After Russell Martin spent the season overhauling the playing style to a more possession-focused style, Southampton triumphed 1-0 over Leeds United in the Championship play-off final to secure promotion.
The Saints have no time to rest on their laurels, though, and will be frantically trying to assemble a squad capable of top flight survival.
The club have already confirmed the departure of out-of-contract Stuart Armstrong, with Che Adams and Alex McCarthy also potentially leaving following the expiration of their deals.
Southampton also had four players on loan at the end of last season, with the club desperately trying to secure permanent deals for Flynn Downes and Ryan Fraser, but David Brooks and Joe Rothwell facing less certain futures.
One important piece of business has already been concluded however, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis‘ loan deal from Manchester City becoming permanent upon promotion.
Now, Southampton could look to repeat the trick with a move for another City youngster.
Southampton could make move for Liam Delap
Harwood-Bellis’ loan deal from City stipulated that if Southampton were to be promoted then they would be obligated to sign the centre-back for £20 million.
This represented good business all round, with City getting a sizeable fee for a player that would likely never play for their first team and Southampton not risking their financial future by spending such a fee whilst a Championship club.
Now the Saints could repeat the trick with a move for striker Liam Delap; a player who has been linked numerous times over the past few seasons.
That is according to The Sun, who have reported that Southampton ‘have Manchester City academy graduate Liam Delap on their shortlist’.
The 21-year-old son of former Saint, Rory, spent last season on loan at Hull City, opting to join the Tigers over Southampton who were also interested in a temporary deal.
Delap has a contract until 2026 with the Premier League champions and is expected to cost around £10 million, according to The Sun.
Perhaps Southampton would be wise to negotiate a loan with obligation to buy based on Premier League survival in a similar deal to the one that saw Harwood-Bellis make his move permanent.
What would Delap bring to Southampton?
Delap is a completely different player to his dad, who played as either a full-back or midfielder and was known for his incredibly long throw-in during his time at Stoke City.
Liam is a tall, physical striker who is as comfortable holding the ball up as he is running in behind given his deceptive pace.
Whilst on loan at Hull last season, the England under-21 international scored eight goals and provided two assists in 31 games but picked up a knee injury which saw him sidelined for a good chunk of the campaign.
His manager at loan club Hull, Liam Rosenior, was full of praise upon beating Southampton to his services last summer, as he told the club website: “Liam completely fits into the way we play. He’s got outstanding physical attributes and is a great finisher.
“He’s got freak speed, is aggressive and can run in behind, which is one of the areas we wanted to address. He’s someone the fans will really enjoy watching.”
“He’s had an amazing education and upbringing at Manchester City. In the right team that plays to his strengths, he can be a real asset and I believe he’ll be a real asset for us moving forward.”
If Southampton are able to negotiate a deal with City then they may just have the perfect Adams replacement lined up and he will only get better.