Official: Nottingham Forest sign £50m Liam Delap from Chelsea

Updated: 27 Aug 2026 10:39 BST | 4 min read

Liam Delap signs from Nottingham Forest from Chelsea — © IMAGO

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Make us your Google favourite

Nottingham Forest have announced the signing of Liam Delap from Chelsea in a club-record deal.

Article continues under the video

Forest have signed Delap for a total package worth £50 million (€58.3m), which breaks the side’s previous biggest purchase, which was Omari Hutchinson from Ipswich a year ago.

In turn, Chelsea have made an enormous profit on a player who was widely considered a flop after scoring only one Premier League goal for the club across a difficult season.

Current ETV

Liam Delap

F (C)

Chelsea

Liam Delap

F (C)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€30.3M - €37M

Forest have announced that Delap has signed a five-year deal with the club, keeping him contracted to the Trentside outfit until 2031.

“I’m buzzing. I really can’t wait to get started, it’s a massive club with a big history so I can’t wait,” the 23-year-old centre-forward said.

“I’m aggressive and I play with a lot of speed and aggression. Hopefully I can bring some goals here as well.

“With the new head coach I think we can build something really strong. The main aim is to challenge and be a top club in the Premier League.”

How Chelsea turned a profit on ‘flop’ Delap

Chelsea have once again shown an ability to make money out of a deal that appeared to be a bad one.

Delap was signed by the Blues for £30m (€35.5m) from Ipswich a year ago when they triggered his release clause with the Suffolk side – and this has been the key to the giant profit they have made.

He was identified as a transfer market opportunity due to that release fee. It significantly reduced the gamble Chelsea made when they were signing him.

Coming off a season in which he had scored 12 with a relegated side, Delap’s stock was high and there is no way he would have been sold for just €35m on the open market. The release fee made him comparatively ‘cheap’.

This is highlighted by the fact that at Chelsea, his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) rose as high as €49.4m – which is not too far from the sum that the Blues have sold him for.

Largely owing to his lack of playing time, Delap’s ETV has dropped back to €33.6m, but the potential of the forward is clear.

© IMAGO - Liam Delap: Difficult time at Chelsea is over

Why Forest have spent big on Delap

Forest believe that Delap has the profile of a prolific Premier League scorer, with The Telegraph revealing that Oliver Glasner told the board that many of last season’s most prolific marksmen were all around 6ft, quick and players who like to attack space behind defences.

Glasner is hopeful that Delap can replicate the achievements of Erling Haaland, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Igor Thiago.

Furthermore, Delap will team up with former Ipswich colleagues James McAtee and Hutchinson.

“I’ve spent a lot of time with Macca and it’s really helpful when you know people and I had the year with Omari as well. I think those connections will definitely help with settling in,” he said.

“Macca is one of my best mates and I think we played really well together when we were younger so I can’t wait to be on the pitch with him once more.”

From the outside, Delap’s move to Forest looks pricey, but there’s evidence to suggest it’s one that could work out best for all parties.