Nottingham Forest Signs Chelsea Striker Liam Delap in Record Deal

Nottingham Forest have ripped up their transfer ceiling to land Liam Delap from Chelsea in a club-record deal that could hit £50m.

Forest have agreed a package understood to be worth at least £45m, rising to £50m with add-ons, to secure the 22-year-old striker. Delap is due to undergo a medical on Wednesday, with only the final formalities now standing between him and a move to the City Ground.

The fee eclipses Forest’s previous record signing, Omari Hutchison, who arrived from Ipswich Town for £37.5m in August 2025.

This time, they have gone significantly higher for a forward who has quickly become one of the most talked-about young No 9s in the Premier League.

Chelsea only signed Delap last summer, paying £30m to bring him in from Ipswich. They valued him at around £50m going into this window and have now effectively hit that mark, banking a £15m profit after a single season in which he scored two goals in 41 appearances.

The numbers are striking. Two goals, 41 games, yet a fee brushing £50m. But Delap’s age, physical profile and potential have driven his price into the modern elite bracket, and Forest have decided he is worth the gamble.

They were not alone. Several Premier League clubs tracked the deal, with Everton among those showing serious interest, but Forest pushed hardest and longest. Their persistence has been rewarded with a player they see as a central piece of their attack for years to come.

For Chelsea, the move underlines their willingness to trade aggressively. For Forest, it is a statement: survival is no longer enough. They are paying elite money for a striker they believe can grow into an elite presence.

Now the focus turns to the medical and the signatures. If all goes to plan, Liam Delap will soon walk into the City Ground as the most expensive player in Nottingham Forest’s history.