Nottingham Forest have reached an agreement to sign Chelsea striker Liam Delap for a club-record fee of around £50m, according to BBC Sport.

The 22-year-old is expected to complete a medical and put pen to paper on a long-term deal at the City Ground before the end of the week.

From Ipswich to Chelsea — and now Forest

Delap only moved to Chelsea last summer, arriving from Ipswich Town in a £30m deal that attracted interest from Manchester United and Everton. However, injuries to his shoulder and hamstring severely disrupted his debut season at Stamford Bridge, limiting him to a single Premier League goal and prompting Chelsea to make him available for transfer this summer.

At Forest, Delap will compete for a starting berth with Chris Wood and Igor Jesus — both of whom failed to score in the club's 1-0 home defeat by Leeds in their Premier League opener on Saturday.

Forest's busy transfer window

The Delap deal is the latest move in a hectic summer at the City Ground. Forest have already brought in defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting for £34m, while Austrian midfielder Xaver Schlager and goalkeeper Steve Benda have both arrived on free transfers.

Outgoings have also reshaped the squad significantly. England midfielder Elliot Anderson departed for Manchester City in a club-record £116m sale, while striker Taiwo Awoniyi joined Coventry City for £9m.

Delap's road to the top flight

Delap developed through Derby County's academy before joining Manchester City's ranks in 2019. He was part of the City squad that lifted the FA Youth Cup in 2019-20 and then netted 24 goals in 20 Premier League 2 appearances the following season as they claimed the league title.

He announced himself at senior level in September 2020, scoring on his debut in a 2-1 League Cup victory over Bournemouth, and earned his first Premier League appearance days later in a 5-2 defeat by Leicester.

Persistent injuries curtailed his progress at Manchester City, and between 2022 and 2024 he spent time on loan in the Championship with Stoke, Preston North End, and Hull City.

Manchester City sold him to Ipswich for £20m in the summer of 2024, and he repaid that faith emphatically — registering 12 goals in 37 Premier League appearances for the newly promoted club.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have moved to cover their bases in attack by signing Emmanuel Emegha from Strasbourg and Danny Welbeck from Brighton this summer.