Nottingham Forest agree club-record £50m deal for Liam Delap
The 23-year-old striker is set to sign a long-term contract after Chelsea made him available for sale following an injury-plagued season.
Nottingham Forest have agreed a club-record transfer fee of approximately £50m to secure the services of Chelsea striker Liam Delap. The 23-year-old forward is expected to undergo a medical at the City Ground this week before finalising a long-term deal with the Premier League side.
The move represents a significant financial commitment for Forest, who have already bolstered their squad with the £34m signing of defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting. The club also secured free agents Xaver Schlager and Steve Benda during the current window. These additions come as Forest look to rebuild their squad following the departure of England midfielder Elliot Anderson to Manchester City for a club-record £116m, as well as the sale of striker Taiwo Awoniyi to Coventry City for £9m.
Delap’s trajectory has been shaped by both high-profile moves and persistent injury concerns. He joined Chelsea from Ipswich Town for £30m a year ago, a transfer that saw him compete with Manchester United and Everton for his signature. However, Chelsea made him available for sale this summer after he managed just one Premier League goal in a previous campaign disrupted by shoulder and hamstring issues.
The arrival of Delap is intended to inject competition into Forest’s forward line. In their recent Premier League opener, strikers Chris Wood and Igor Jesus failed to score in a 1-0 defeat to Leeds United. Delap, who has scored 13 goals in 67 Premier League appearances to date, offers a proven alternative for the club as they seek stability in attack.
Chelsea’s decision to offload Delap is part of a broader reshaping of their attacking options, having also signed Emmanuel Emegha from Strasbourg and Danny Welbeck from Brighton this summer. Delap’s path to the top flight has been unconventional, having come through Derby County’s youth system before joining Manchester City in 2019.
At City, Delap won the FA Youth Cup and scored 24 goals in 20 Premier League 2 matches in the 2020-21 season. After limited first-team opportunities due to injury, he spent time on loan with Stoke, Preston North End, and Hull City between 2022 and 2024 before his £20m sale to Ipswich, where he scored 12 goals in 37 games.
