Nottingham Forest have reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign striker Liam Delap in a deal worth around £50m, which would make him the most expensive signing in the club’s history.
The 23-year-old is expected to complete a medical before finalising a long-term contract at the City Ground this week.
Delap only joined Chelsea last summer, arriving from Ipswich Town for £30m after also attracting interest from Manchester United and Everton. His first season at Stamford Bridge proved difficult, however, with shoulder and hamstring problems disrupting his campaign.
He managed one Premier League goal and has now been made available as Chelsea reshape their attacking options.
Forest have already been active in the transfer market, paying £34m to Sporting for defender Ousmane Diomande while adding midfielder Xaver Schlager and goalkeeper Steve Benda on free transfers.
The club have also generated significant income through departures. England midfielder Elliot Anderson moved to Manchester City for a club-record £116m, while Coventry City signed striker Taiwo Awoniyi for £9m.
Delap is set to strengthen a Forest attack that already includes Chris Wood and Igor Jesus. Neither striker scored as Forest opened their Premier League campaign with a 1-0 home defeat against Leeds United on Saturday.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have reinforced their own forward line with Emmanuel Emegha from Strasbourg and experienced striker Danny Welbeck from Brighton.
Delap began his development at Derby County before moving to Manchester City in 2019. He was part of the City side that won the FA Youth Cup in 2019-20 and followed that by scoring 24 goals in 20 Premier League 2 appearances during the following season.
He made an immediate impact on his senior City debut in September 2020, scoring in a 2-1 League Cup victory over Bournemouth. His Premier League debut followed three days later against Leicester City.
First-team opportunities remained limited, partly because of injuries, and Delap subsequently spent loan spells in the Championship with Stoke City, Preston North End and Hull City between 2022 and 2024.
Manchester City sold him to newly promoted Ipswich for £20m in the summer of 2024. Delap then established himself at Premier League level by scoring 12 goals in 37 appearances before earning his move to Chelsea.
Forest are now preparing to make him the centrepiece of another ambitious transfer window as they look to add greater depth and competition to their forward line.