Dortmund have £15m offer for Man City striker rejected
Man City have rejected a £15million bid from Borussia Dortmund for striker Liam Delap, according to a report.
The 18-year-old, son of former Stoke City player Rory Delap, is rated highly at the Etihad Stadium.
He could be set for more first-team opportunities this campaign after an impressive haul in the Premier League Two division last term.
According to Football Insider, Dortmund were interested in Delap before the summer transfer window closed on August 31.
They submitted an offer for his services which was immediately knocked back by Man City.
The report claims that City chiefs have ‘high hopes’ for Delap and do not want to lose him any time soon.
Pep Guardiola is also a huge admirer of the England U18 international and could turn to him this season if City are struggling for goals.
City were linked with a number of exceptional forwards during the summer, most notably Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Those transfers did not go through due to various reasons, including Tottenham’s reluctance to sell Kane and Ronaldo’s affinity with Man Utd.
Football Insider now make a new claim, writing that City did not want to block Delap’s path into the squad by signing a new striker.
The player made three senior appearances for the Premier League champions last season. He featured in the 5-2 league defeat to Leicester City and scored in the Carabao Cup third round victory over Bournemouth.
He also played 15 minutes in October’s FA Cup third round win against Birmingham City at home.
Delap did not make the squad for Tuesday’s 6-1 thrashing of Wycombe Wanderers. It was hoped that he would be given a chance to impress, but Guardiola opted to start Ferran Torres instead.
At full-time, the Spaniard heaped praise on his side, which featured a number of teenagers.
“I just have to say thank you to the academy,” he said. “They all do an incredible job.
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“You have the feeling that we have not just one or two potential players but many of them. The academy gives them the right values to become good professional players and they have the talent.
“We have the feeling that we can count on them…We saw it today a little bit and we know how good they are. As manager of the first team I can enjoy it, I can use them.”
City’s next match is against title rivals Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.