Nottingham Forest sign Liam Delap from Chelsea in club-record £45m deal

Nottingham Forest have signed striker Liam Delap from Chelsea in a club-record deal worth £45m, with the 23-year-old agreeing a five-year contract at the City Ground after being deemed surplus to requirements by new Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso.

Delap becomes Forest’s third club in three seasons, having joined Chelsea from Ipswich Town for £30m just 12 months ago. Despite scoring only twice across all competitions last season, Chelsea have secured a profit on the deal. The transfer was completed in time for Delap to be considered for selection against Liverpool on Saturday, though it remains unclear whether manager Oliver Glasner will hand him an immediate start.

Glasner, recently appointed at the City Ground, made signing Delap a priority during the current window. The former England youth international had been training away from Chelsea’s first team, with his number nine shirt reassigned to Joao Pedro after Alonso made his position clear.

“I really can’t wait to get started, this is a massive club with a big history,” Delap said. “I spoke to the manager and I like his way, I think he can be the one to really help me develop and make that next step and hopefully I can bring goals here. As a team we can build something really strong and the main aim is to challenge and be a top club in the Premier League.”

Forest arrive at this deal under pressure after a difficult start to the season, losing 1-0 at home to Leeds in their Premier League opener and then suffering a 2-0 defeat to the same opponents in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.

Elsewhere at Chelsea, Enzo Fernandez remains heavily linked with a move to Manchester City, while the club are also weighing up a bid for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, suggesting further activity before the transfer window closes.