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 a potential £50m, marking a bold statement of intent ahead of the new season. Delap is due to undergo a medical on Wednesday as the move edges towards completion.

The 21-year-old had attracted interest from several Premier League clubs, including Everton, but Forest moved decisively to win the race for his signature and build their attack around him.

Chelsea only signed Delap last summer from Ipswich Town for £30m and had set a valuation of around £50m for him in this window. On the numbers alone, they have secured a £15m profit on a player who scored two goals in 41 appearances last season.

For Forest, the fee eclipses their previous record outlay, the £37.5m paid to Ipswich Town for Omari Hutchison in August 2025. That deal felt big at the time. This one shifts the scale again.

A club that has spent the past few seasons fighting to establish itself in the Premier League is now paying elite money for a striker it believes can change its ceiling.