Delap done - which other strikers will be wanted this summer?

The battle for Liam Delap is over - after the 22-year-old striker moved to Chelsea from Ipswich for £30m.

Conference League winners Chelsea beat the likes of Manchester United, Newcastle and Everton to Delap's signature to become the first Premier League club to sign a high-profile striker this summer.

But with the clubs that missed out on Delap - plus Arsenal and Liverpool - among those keen for extra firepower, the race to add those all-important extra goals continues.

The first part of the summer transfer window closes on 10 June and reopens on 16 June - with sides having until 1 September to bolster their squads.

So which other strikers will the major sides be looking at? We have focused on 10 forwards who will be in demand over the next few months.

2024-25 stats (all competitions). Appearances: 48 Goals: 22 Assists: 12 Minutes per goal: 165.4

French striker Hugo Ekitike, 22, has enjoyed the best goalscoring season of his career, registering 22 goals and 12 assists for Eintracht Frankfurt to help his side finish third in the Bundesliga and earn a Champions League place.

He has represented his country at under-21 level and the 6ft 3in (1.91m) frontman has been linked with Chelsea and Liverpool in recent weeks. Frankfurt have already lost one forward to the Premier League this season, with Omar Marmoush joining Manchester City - will his former team-mate join him in England?

2024-25 stats (all competitions). Appearances: 45 Goals: 34 Assists: 6 Minutes per goal: 111.9

Only England captain Harry Kane scored more Bundesliga goals in 2024-25 than Borussia Dortmund centre-forward Serhou Guirassy's total of 21.

He also got 13 goals in the Champions League (joint top with Barcelona's Raphinha) and that form has put the 29-year-old Guinea international on the radar of the top Premier League clubs.

Guirassy moved to Dortmund for only £15.4m last summer and has a reported release clause of 70m euros (£60.1m).

2024-25 stats (all competitions). Appearances: 52 Goals: 54 Assists: 12 Minutes per goal: 77.8

Former Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres has been in fine form for Portuguese side Sporting this season, scoring an incredible 54 goals in 52 matches.

The 26-year-old has been linked with a move to Manchester United, which would see him reunited with former Sporting boss Ruben Amorim, but his goalscoring record is attracting clubs from across Europe.

His contract reportedly has a release clause of 100m euros (£83.1m).

2024-25 stats (all competitions). Appearances: 46 Goals: 17 Assists: 4 Minutes per goal: 194.1

Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta enjoyed a fine season and began 2025 with eight goals in his first nine games of the year.

He ended the campaign on 14 Premier League goals, joint 10th in the charts, and started Palace's 1-0 FA Cup final victory over Manchester City at Wembley as the Eagles won their first major trophy.

That victory took his side into next season's Europa League, but will that be enough to convince Mateta to stay at Selhurst Park?

2024-25 stats (all competitions). Appearances: 42 Goals: 20 Assists: 9 Minutes per goal: 178

While not a recognised central striker, Brentford's Mbeumo has been no stranger to playing that role for the Bees.

As equally adept on the right, or playing more centrally, Mbeumo would provide an option in two positions for any potential suitor.

Manchester United are known to be interested in the 25-year-old Cameroon international, with the likes of Arsenal and Newcastle also linked.

With just a year left on his contract, Brentford boss Thomas Frank has admitted the club are open to offers for their talisman, despite wanting to keep him at the club.

2024-25 stats (all competitions). Appearances: 41 Goals: 37 Assists: 7 Minutes per goal: 85.8

In 2022-23, Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen helped Napoli win their first Italian title since 1990, but he missed their triumph this season as he had a prolific spell on loan at Turkish side Galatasaray.

The 26-year-old has been in prolific form, and among his goals in 2024-25 was a double in his side's 3-2 Europa League win over Tottenham in November.

Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea are among those that have been heavily linked with the player.

2024-25 stats (all competitions). Appearances: 49 Goals: 28. Assists: 9 Minutes per goal: 112.6

Italy international striker Mateo Retegui ended the campaign as the top scorer in Serie A with 25 goals for Atalanta in 2024-25, six more than any other player.

The 26-year-old has played in the Champions League for his side this season, and his goals have helped them qualify for next season's competition.

Will that be enough for him to stay with Atalanta? A host of Premier League clubs will be watching with interest, ready to pounce if he decides to leave Italy.

2024-25 stats (all competitions). Appearances: 45 Goals: 21 Assists: 6 Minutes per goal: 155.2

Slovenia striker Benjamin Sesko has long been linked with a move to the Premier League as he continues to rapidly build his reputation at RB Leipzig.

The 22-year-old is 6ft 5in (1.96m) and will not come cheap because he signed a new "long-term deal" with the German side last summer.

At the weekend, Sky in Germany were reporting that Arsenal had begun talks with RB Leipzig in an attempt to sign Sesko, who has a release clause worth more than 80m euros (£67.4m).

2024-25 stats (all competitions). Appearances: 41 Goals: 15 Assists: 5 Minutes per goal: 171.1

Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic, whose contract runs until June 2026, is another big target man who has been linked with a move to the Premier League for a long time.

The 25-year-old is 6ft 3in (1.91m) and enjoyed another fine season in Italy with Juventus, who had signed him in January 2022 - when Arsenal missed out on the forward.

Vlahovic also scored when Juventus beat Manchester City 2-0 in their Champions League tie in December.

2024-25 stats (all competitions). Appearances: 54 Goals: 17 Assists: 14 Minutes per goal: 210.5

Arsenal made a late bid for England striker Ollie Watkins in the final few days of the winter transfer window, with Aston Villa refusing the reported £40m offer.

However, Villa's 2-0 loss to Manchester United on the final day of the Premier League season meant Unai Emery's side missed out on a lucrative Champions League place because their goal difference was worse than Newcastle's.

That means Villa will be in the Europa League in 2025-26, so will the Gunners try again for Watkins and have more success with a summer bid?

2024-25 stats (all competitions). Appearances: 39 Goals: 20 Assists: 4 Minutes per goal: 153.9

Only five players in the Premier League scored more goals in 2024-25 than Brentford striker Yoane Wissa, who hit the net 19 times.

Nottingham Forest and Tottenham were interested in the DR Congo international striker in the January transfer window and Brentford, who missed out on European football for next season, will face a battle to keep Wissa and team-mate Mbeumo.