Nottingham Forest in Talks for Liam Delap Transfer
Nottingham Forest have opened talks with Chelsea over a move for Liam Delap as Oliver Glasner pushes hard for extra firepower before the window shuts, according to the Daily Mail.
Forest’s proposal is understood to be a loan with an option to buy next summer, a structure that would limit their risk but give them first refusal if Delap finally explodes in the Premier League. Glasner’s urgency is easy to trace: a tight 1-0 defeat to Leeds United at the weekend underlined exactly what his side lacked – a ruthless edge in the box.
Delap stuck at a crossroads
For Delap, this is starting to feel like a career junction rather than just another transfer link. He arrived at Stamford Bridge from Ipswich Town with momentum and a growing reputation after his spell at Portman Road, but the step up to Chelsea has bitten hard.
He has struggled to live up to the weight of expectation in west London. One league goal in his debut season tells its own story. His complete absence from the squad in Chelsea’s recent Premier League win over Fulham felt like more than simple rotation; it looked like a clear signal that the club are ready to listen to offers.
The hierarchy’s stance has been reinforced on the pitch and in the dressing room. Delap has slid down the pecking order and even lost his No.9 shirt. Joao Pedro claimed that number after a standout first season, a symbolic shift that laid bare Alonso’s changing attacking blueprint. Delap has been pushed to No.12, with Nicolas Jackson and summer signing Marc Guiu both ahead of him in the fight for minutes.
For a former Manchester City academy prospect once tipped for a fast-track to the top, the route to regular football under Alonso now appears brutally narrow.
Forest lead the chase – but not alone
Forest may be at the front of the queue, but they are hardly alone. Several Premier League clubs have been tracking Delap’s situation all summer, sensing an opportunity if Chelsea finally cut ties.
Ipswich Town, where Delap shone before his Chelsea move, have explored the idea of bringing him back. Everton, too, are hovering. The Toffees are thought to be weighing up a loan approach of their own, ready to pounce if no club steps forward with a permanent package Chelsea find acceptable.
Forest, then, have a head start but not a free run.
Glasner’s rebuild gathers pace
The chase for Delap fits into a wider, aggressive reshaping of the squad at the City Ground. Glasner is not tinkering; he is rebuilding.
Forest have already landed defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting CP in a £36m deal, a statement signing at the back. They have also moved smartly in the free-agent market, snapping up midfielder Xaver Schlager and goalkeeper Steve Benda to deepen the squad and raise competition.
Those moves have been made possible by one huge outgoing: the £116m sale of Elliot Anderson to Manchester City. That windfall has given Forest the room to go after targeted upgrades rather than bargain fixes – and Delap sits firmly in that bracket.
The recruitment drive does not stop at centre-forward. Forest are also monitoring Newcastle United winger Jacob Murphy, another player with Premier League know-how. Everton again are in the mix, mirroring the Delap chase and turning this into a mini-transfer tug-of-war on two fronts.
The pattern is obvious: Glasner wants players who either know this league or have the ceiling to adapt quickly. No long bedding-in periods. No passengers.
Chelsea clear the decks, Delap waits on England
Chelsea, for their part, are trimming a bloated squad after Alonso’s arrival and the subsequent overhaul. Numbers have been reassigned, big names have been nudged towards the exit, and Delap – despite having five years left on his contract – is now firmly on the list of forwards they are prepared to move on.
The 21-year-old is not rushing into anything. He is prepared to wait for the right domestic offer, preferring to stay in the Premier League rather than take a gamble abroad. Italian side Como, led by Cesc Fabregas, showed interest in taking him to Serie A earlier in the window, but England remains his priority.
So the stage is set. Forest want a striker. Chelsea are ready to deal. Rivals are circling.
The next move will say plenty about Delap’s ambition – and about how serious Forest are about turning promise into goals this season.
