Manchester City Signs Promising Striker Amid Harry Kane Transfer Saga

Manchester City has sealed a deal for a promising striker.

Liam Delap has signed a fresh three-year contract extension with Manchester City and will be a Citizen until 2026, the club announced Friday.

The 18-year-old, who has been described by the club as “a striker of immense promise,” is pleased with being able to prolong his stay at the Etihad Stadium.

“It’s obviously a massive achievement for me,” Delap told Manchester City’s official website. “I am so happy. I have been here now for two years and every day I have loved it. I have just loved the place and all the people. I can’t wait to do even more.”

“I’ve got everything here,” he added. “I’ve just fallen into place here and that’s why I’ve committed my future here. There is always someone there to support you. They make you feel so welcome and you get the best coaching and the best players playing with you so it improves your game.”

Delap joined the club’s academy in 2019 and rapidly progressed into a goal-hungry striker. His dedication, combined with natural talent, saw him being handed his first-team debut last September, in which he started and scored in City’s 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Bournemouth.

It was followed by two further senior appearances in the 2020-21 season, a debut in the English Premier League against Leicester City and in the FA Cup win over Birmingham City.

However, it was at the Elite Development Squad (EDS) where Delap made a name for himself, having scored a total of 24 goals in 20 games to lead Man City to a maiden Premier League 2 title. The outstanding performances were enough for the youngster to be crowned the league’s Player of the Season award.

Prior to the contract extension, Middlesbrough, Stoke City and Derby all reportedly eyed a loan move for Delap. However, Manchester City was not keen on letting go of the prolific striker, Goal reported.

The only thing that could have possibly changed Manchester City’s stance on Delap was if the club managed to sign a well-rounded striker with Tottenham's Kane still the top target, Sporting News reported.

Kane’s commitment to Tottenham has been a hot subject in the sport in recent times with the England captain yet to make his return for the Spurs.

Addressing the issue, Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo stressed that Kane has been training with the team and that “all players” joining the training are likely to play.

"My job here is not to convince players to play for Tottenham Hotspur,” Espirito Santo told reporters Friday. “It is to prepare players to play for Tottenham Hotspur.”

"Honestly, it's not unfair or fair for me, it's the reality,” he added. “The reality to be taken care of with wise decisions. The decisions we make are day by day, and all of the players that are involved in training sessions are options for us. [Kane] has trained, trained well. He'll train tomorrow [Saturday] and tomorrow we'll make a decision. Each day that he goes onto the pitch, he improves his fitness.”