Manchester City Teenager Allowed To Leave On Loan This Summer Following Southampton And Burnley Interest

Manchester City currently favour a loan stint for Liam Delap, although Southampton are keen on signing the teenager on a permanent basis.

A unanimous opinion held amongst City supporters remains that Liam Delap is Premier League ready at 19 years of age.

Despite being relatively inexperienced at the highest level, the prodigious marksman’s incredible physique and clinical finishing, are traits that make him tailor-made for the English top-flight.

City fans certainly do not need any reminding of how special the Englishman is.

After all, many pined for the youngster to become the side’s go-to striker after the club’s failure to replace Sergio Agüero with Harry Kane ahead of the 2021/22 season.

However, the success of Pep Guardiola’s false nine system combined with niggling injuries across the past two campaigns have not helped the ex-Derby County star’s case for becoming a regular starter.

While some may have hoped that the upcoming season may finally be his time to shine, the arrivals of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez beg to differ.

As a result, a fresh revelation has emerged that reveals that a move away from the Etihad Stadium ahead of the new campaign could be set to come to fruition.

According to the latest information provided by Alex Crook of talkSPORT, Liam Delap has been told that he can leave Manchester City on loan this summer.

However, it is claimed that Southampton would prefer to sign the son of former Stoke City midfielder, Rory Delap on a permanent deal instead.

With the Sky Blues’ former Head of Recruitment, Joe Shields recently joining the Saints, the club secured the signings of Gavin Bazunu and Romeo Lavia from the Blues earlier this summer.

As a result, the links to another one of the Premier League Champions’ wonderkids certainly add up.

During the 2021/22 season, Pep Guardiola handed Liam Delap his landmark debuts in the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup upon his return from injury.

In addition, City reportedly rejected several potential loan spells in January as they considered the 2022 Euro U-19 champion as a key figure in helping the side during the second half of the season.

Perhaps the biggest show of good faith emerged when the club handed him a contract extension till 2026 in August last year.

While all signs point to how highly regarded the starlet is at the Etihad Stadium, it remains unlikely that he gets a sniff in the first-team anytime soon.

With Erling Haaland’s status as one of Europe’s deadliest strikers and Julian Alvarez’s impressive versatility, the teenager will likely have to resort to competing for the EDS if he decides to stay at the club.

Keeping these factors in mind, a permanent move to Southampton with a potential buy-back clause in place may be on the cards, unless a suitor that presents a more suitable loan spell knocks on City’s door.