Nottingham Forest agree £50m deal for Chelsea striker Liam Delap
By Sami Mokbel and Nizaar Kinsella
Nottingham Forest have agreed a club-record fee worth around £50m to sign Chelsea striker Liam Delap. The 23-year-old is expected to undergo a medical and sign a long-term contract at the City Ground this week.
Delap's move comes after a year at Stamford Bridge, where he joined from Ipswich Town for £30m, with Manchester United and Everton also interested. However, Chelsea made him available this summer due to limited playing time, with just one Premier League goal in two injury-disrupted campaigns.
Forest have already made significant signings this summer, including defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting for £34m, Austrian midfielder Xaver Schlager, and goalkeeper Steve Benda, both free agents. They also sold England midfielder Elliot Anderson to Manchester City for a club-record £116m and striker Taiwo Awoniyi to Coventry City for £9m.
Delap's arrival is seen as competition for Chris Wood and Igor Jesus, who struggled in Forest's 1-0 defeat by Leeds in their Premier League opener on Saturday. Chelsea have also bolstered their attack with Emmanuel Emegha from Strasbourg and Danny Welbeck from Brighton.
Delap began his career at Derby County before joining Manchester City in 2019. He won the FA Youth Cup in 2019-20, scoring 24 goals in 20 Premier League 2 matches the following season. He made his senior debut for City in 2020 and spent time on loan at Stoke, Preston North End, and Hull City between 2022 and 2024. In 2024, he was sold to Ipswich for £20m.