Chelsea are scoring for fun, but they want to add even more firepower to their attack, according to reports

Chelsea quite literally cannot stop scoring — no team has netted more than Enzo Maresca’s men this term — but that isn’t stopping them from wanting more.

Holding the keys to scoring success at Stamford Bridge is one Cole Palmer — ranked the third-best attacking midfielder in the world currently by FourFourTwo — he has the most Premier League goals (11) AND the most assists (6) of anybody in his team.

Nevertheless, the Blues seem to want to try and get more out of him, and it seems they are closing in on a strategy to achieve just that.

Chelsea eye Liam Delap to add firepower to Cole Palmer-led attack

According to a report from TEAMtalk, Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap is high on Chelsea’s list, noting a lack of natural no.9 options, with just Nicolas Jackson fitting the bill.

The same reports have noted that his determination, strength and skill are attributes that have made the west London club consider the 21-year-old as a transfer target.

It suggests that Chelsea want even more from their attack, viewing Delap as a physical presence up front and someone that Palmer, already the creative king at Chelsea, can bounce off to increase his goal involvement even further.

Delap only arrived at Portman Road this summer, in a £20 million deal from Manchester City, but TEAMtalk reports that the Tractor Boys are hopeful of holding their man until at least the end of the season.

It’s easy to see why Chelsea view Delap as the perfect Palmer partner: the Ipswich forward has already six goals for the top-flight strugglers despite feeding off scraps — imagine what he might achieve with the service of his former fellow City academy product.

Crucially, Pep Guardiola’s side does hold a buyback clause on Delap, and it’s reported they haven’t ruled out activating it in the summer, but are unlikely to in January.

In FourFourTwo’s opinion, the theory works great on paper, but Delap may want to be wary about moving too soon.

He’s only six goals and a handful of appearances into his Premier League career — it’s an incredible start, but he’s got plenty of time ahead of him for a big move.

He will be the main man at Ipswich, having been loaned out and far down the pecking order at City, something which will only enhance his reputation. A turn of bad form at Chelsea, however, and we know just how many top talents they have waiting to step into the breach.

Raheem Sterling has no intention of prematurely concluding his season-long loan spell at Arsenal, according to a report.

The former Liverpool and Manchester City forward was frozen out at Stamford Bridge by Enzo Maresca at the start of the season. Surprisingly left out of Chelsea’s squad for the first Premier League fixture of the campaign, Sterling sealed a west London exit on deadline day.

There was plenty of optimism about the deal at the time. Arsenal are reportedly paying less than half of Sterling’s £325,000 weekly wage – with Chelsea covering the remainder – and Mikel Arteta was excited to be reunited with a player he worked alongside at Manchester City.

However, Premier League starts have been hard to come by for Sterling and appearances of any length have stopped in recent weeks. The four-time top-flight champion has watched on as an unused substitute in Arsenal’s previous four matches across all competitions.

Sterling’s last league start for the Gunners was cut short in the 37th minute when Arteta was forced into a tactical reshuffle following William Saliba’s red card against Bournemouth in October. It was telling that the experienced winger was the player to be sacrificed.

Despite his minimal involvement, Sterling remains committed to Arsenal, according to the Evening Standard. The forward reportedly remains “determined” to win his place in the starting XI and is still considered a viable option for Arteta.

When Pep Guardiola’s former number two was asked if Sterling had been left on the sidelines for a specific reason this week, Arteta bluntly replied: “No.”

Arsenal’s boss has previously explained that Sterling’s lack of minutes has weighed heavily on him. “I would like him to play much more as I think he can impact the team in a very good way,” Arteta outlined earlier this month. “He’s very good in the dressing room and is absolutely desperate to play.”

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Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk says he is in “complete shock” after testing positive for a banned substance.

The club confirmed on Tuesday that they had been contacted by the Football Association (FA) after an “adverse finding in a routine urine test” provided by the Ukraine international.

The attacker, who has been provisionally suspended by the FA following the positive result, denies knowingly using a banned substance.

Chelsea say they will work to establish what caused the failed test.

“This has come as a complete shock as I have never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules, and am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened,” Mudryk wrote on Instagram.

“I know that I have not done anything wrong and remain hopeful that I will be back on the pitch soon.”

Under FA guidelines, players can be provisionally suspended from football following a positive drugs test.

When contacted by BBC Sport, the FA refused to comment on Mudryk’s suspension or when the failed test took place.

Players found to have intentionally taken a banned substance can be banned for up to four years under Fifa guidelines.

Mudryk last played for Chelsea on 28 November and has missed the past five matches in all competitions.

He was included in the matchday squad for the Blues’ win against Aston Villa on 1 December but did not feature.

Head coach Enzo Maresca had said publicly that Mudryk’s absence was because of illness.

Mudryk, who signed from Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk in a deal worth up to £89m in 2023, has scored 10 goals in 73 appearances for Chelsea.

The Professional Footballers’ Association is expected to contact Mudryk to offer support.