Liam Delap’s preparations for Chelsea’s Club World Cup semi-final have coincided with reports of a breakup from his partner, Leanna Paul, Softfootball can gather.
The 22-year-old striker, who joined Chelsea from Ipswich Town in a £30 million deal earlier this summer, is said to have split from Paul, a 25-year-old Scottish model and social media personality, according to an Instagram post from Glam, Set & Match.
The pair had been together for over a year, but the relationship ended on the premise of “infidelity” as stated by the blog.
Delap remains with Enzo Maresca’s squad in the United States, where Chelsea is taking part in the Club World Cup.
Paul, who has over 500,000 combined followers across Instagram and TikTok, is described as a model and lifestyle content creator who referenced the end of the relationship in a post to her Instagram story, saying:
“You can’t keep someone loyal by loving them harder.”
Delap, who inherited the No 9 shirt at Stamford Bridge following his arrival, soon scored his first goal for the club during their 3-0 group-stage win over Esperance Tunis.
He has started each of Chelsea’s last four matches in the tournament and is among the players being closely monitored for the lead striker role ahead of the new Premier League season.
Chelsea are due to face Fluminense in Tuesday’s semi-final, having advanced through the knockout rounds with wins over Benfica and Palmeiras. Maresca’s side had earlier defeated LAFC and Esperance Tunis in the group stage, with their only loss coming against Flamengo.
Despite all the personal issues going on with Delap, the English player is expected to remain part of Maresca’s first-team plans as Chelsea prepares to open their Premier League campaign at home to Crystal Palace on August 17.
As the Argentine gaffer is focused on his current task in the United, Softfootball has also reported Maresca’s response to the rumour of Noni Madueke joining London rivals Arsenal during the transfer window.
According to Enzo Maresca, he is hopeful that Noni Madueke remains focused on Chelsea’s Club World Cup semi-final against Fluminense amid the noise surrounding his transfer link to Arsenal.
Softfootball reports that Chelsea takes on Fluminense today at the MetLife Stadium as the two sides go head-to-head for a place in the first-ever final of the revamped competition. Madueke has made four appearances in the tournaments up until now, with two of them being starts.
