Official: Nottingham Forest Signs Liam Delap
Nottingham Forest have completed a club-record £50m signing of striker Liam Delap from Chelsea, with the 23-year-old putting pen to paper on a five-year deal at the City Ground.
The move brings to an end a difficult solitary season at Stamford Bridge for Delap, who scored just two goals in 41 appearances after moving to Chelsea from Ipswich Town last summer. The transfer is understood to be worth around £45m, rising to £50m with add-ons, eclipsing the £37.5m Forest paid for Omari Hutchinson from Ipswich last year.
Delap arrived at Chelsea off the back of a breakout campaign at Ipswich, where he had joined from Manchester City for a £30m fee after his release clause was triggered. Before that, he came through City’s academy, having joined the club as a teenager, and built his reputation with loan spells in the Championship at Stoke City, Preston North End and Hull City, the last of those producing eight goals as he led Ipswich’s push for promotion the following season.
He has represented England at every level from the Under-16s up to the Under-21s. Delap has signed a deal at Forest running until 2031, and said he was relishing the move, adding that he is an aggressive, pacy forward who hopes to add goals to Oliver Glasner’s side. Forest boss Glasner is understood to see the forward as the mobile, physical focal point his attack has been missing, with Chris Wood among those in the squad welcoming the competition Delap’s arrival brings up front.
