Nottingham Forest Break Transfer Record for Liam Delap

Nottingham Forest have smashed their transfer record to land Liam Delap from Chelsea in a deal that could rise to £50m.

Forest have agreed to pay at least £45m for the striker, with performance-related add-ons taking the total fee to the half-century mark. Delap is due to undergo a medical on Wednesday as the move edges towards completion.

It is a statement signing. It is also an expensive gamble.

Chelsea only brought Delap in last summer from Ipswich Town for £30m and had been valuing him at around £50m in this window. After just one season at Stamford Bridge, they are set to bank a £15m profit on a forward who scored two goals in 41 appearances.

Forest beat off interest from a number of Premier League rivals, including Everton, to secure the 21-year-old. The club’s hierarchy have pushed hard to get this one done, convinced that Delap’s ceiling justifies the fee despite his modest return in front of goal last term.

The move rips up Forest’s previous transfer benchmark. That belonged to Omari Hutchison, who arrived from Ipswich Town in August 2025 for £37.5m. Delap’s fee leaves that figure in the distance and underlines how aggressively Forest are now operating in the market.

A medical now stands between Forest and the official unveiling. After that, the real scrutiny begins: can a striker with two goals in his last campaign grow into a £50m focal point at the City Ground?