Reported Manchester United and Chelsea transfer target Liam Delap praised by Ipswich Town team-mate Axel Tuanzebe

Ipswich Town defender Axel Tuanzebe believes that Liam Delap has shown he is good enough to play in the Premier League.

Delap is understood to have a £30 million release clause in his contract should, as is likely, the Blues are relegated to the Championship at the end of this season.

Chelsea and Manchester United are reportedly leading the chase for the striker, with Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Liverpool and Juventus also believed to be monitoring the 22-year-old.

Tuanzebe, who himself is out of contract at the end of the season, heaped praise on the Town frontman and understands why a plethora of top clubs are showing an interest.

“Credit to Liam, he’s been great around the group for his first season,” he said. “Playing at the top level he’s been nothing but excellent for us, it’s natural that he’s going to get his praises and accolades.

“We’re there to support him and keep him on path, there’s still a job to do. Even though he’s getting the right sort of noise and exposure, he still knows his commitments to the team and he’s professional enough to execute that.

“Liam has been good, he’s improved massively in terms of game understanding for the team. He has his traits – in front of goal he’s deadly, he’s a strong lad and he’s robust.

“He’s been fantastic for us, he steps up to the challenge. I don’t think there’s been a game this season where he’s not been willing to give his best foot forward and ultimately that’s what it’s about.

“You could say we’re an inexperienced team in the Premier League, what we need is everybody being professional and wanting to execute their job to the best of their ability. Liam has shown that time and time again.”

Delap had never started in the top flight before his move to Suffolk, but Tuanzebe is confident that his background as a youth player at Manchester City gave him no hesitation that the Blues’ 12-goal top scorer could succeed at Premier League level.

“I’ve always said that if you give someone enough chances to play in the Premier League, eventually they’ll adapt and it’s just about how quickly they can adapt,” the defender said.

“Liam being a strong lad coming from Manchester City’s academy, there’s no doubt he’s good enough. He’s been around the best and he’s shown time and time again that he’s good enough to play in this league. He’s been a credit to himself.”