26 August 2026·By [Paul Vegas](/author/paul-vegas)
Nottingham Forest have agreed a club-record fee worth around £50million to sign Chelsea striker Liam Delap, ending his troubled spell at Stamford Bridge.
The 23-year-old is expected to undergo a medical and sign a long-term contract at the City Ground this week, bringing an end to a difficult year at Chelsea that never lived up to expectations.
Delap's move comes almost exactly a year after he joined the Blues from Ipswich Town for £30million, a deal that beat off competition from Manchester United and Everton at the time.
Chelsea made Delap available for sale this summer after he managed just one Premier League goal in a campaign disrupted by shoulder and hamstring injuries, with the west London club having since brought in two further strikers of their own in Emmanuel Emegha from Strasbourg and Danny Welbeck from Brighton.
Nottingham Forest have been busy in the market throughout the closing weeks of the window, having already signed defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting for £34million, alongside free agents Xaver Schlager and goalkeeper Steve Benda.
The club have also raised significant funds through outgoing deals, selling England midfielder Elliot Anderson to Manchester City for a club-record £116million and striker Taiwo Awoniyi to Coventry City for £9million.
Delap's arrival would provide fresh competition for existing strikers Chris Wood and Igor Jesus, who both failed to find the target in Forest's 1-0 defeat by Leeds United in their home Premier League opener on Saturday.
With Forest having also suffered Carabao Cup elimination against the same opponents in midweek, head coach Oliver Glasner will hope Delap's arrival can provide the attacking spark his side have so far lacked at the start of the new season.
The move represents a significant show of ambition from Forest, whose £50million outlay would comfortably eclipse their previous transfer record and underline the scale of investment the club have made since securing European qualification last season. For Delap, the switch offers a fresh opportunity to rebuild his career away from a Chelsea squad that has grown increasingly crowded in attack, having lost the number nine shirt to João Pedro and struggled for fitness throughout a first season in west London that fell well short of the impact many had expected following his move from Ipswich.
He is expected to link up with his new Forest team-mates immediately after signing, with the club keen to have him available for selection as soon as possible given their sluggish start to the campaign.