Nottingham Forest Agree $63 Million Deal for Chelsea Striker Liam Delap

LONDON —

Nottingham Forest have agreed to pay Chelsea a club-record fee worth around £50 million ($63 million) for striker Liam Delap, according to Guardian Sport and BBC Sport. The deal includes a £45 million ($57 million) base fee plus £5 million ($6.3 million) in add-ons, Guardian Sport reported.

Delap, 23, is expected to undergo a medical and sign a long-term contract at Forest's City Ground this week, BBC Sport reported. The move comes just a year after Delap joined Chelsea from Ipswich Town for £30 million ($38 million), beating out interest from Manchester United and Everton at the time.

His time at Chelsea did not go as planned. Delap scored only one goal in the Premier League, England's top soccer division, last season and was slowed by shoulder and hamstring injuries, according to BBC Sport. Chelsea made him available for sale this summer after signing two other strikers, Emmanuel Emegha from Strasbourg and Danny Welbeck from Brighton, Guardian Sport reported.

Forest manager Oliver Glasner had identified Delap as a key target, Guardian Sport reported. He would compete for playing time with strikers Chris Wood and Igor Jesus, who both failed to score in Forest's 1-0 loss to Leeds in their season opener, according to BBC Sport.

Forest has been active in the transfer market this summer. The club paid £34 million ($43 million) for defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting and signed goalkeeper Steve Benda and midfielder Xaver Schlager as free agents, BBC Sport reported. Forest also sold midfielder Elliot Anderson to Manchester City for a club-record £116 million ($147 million) and striker Taiwo Awoniyi to Coventry City for £9 million ($11 million).

Chelsea Looks to Sell Jackson

Chelsea has also opened talks to sell striker Nicolas Jackson to Aston Villa, Guardian Sport reported. Jackson, 25, spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich and is valued at £65 million ($82 million). Villa manager Unai Emery worked with Jackson previously at Villarreal, the Spanish club that sold him to Chelsea in 2023.

Chelsea will not agree to another loan and wants its valuation met, though Villa is expected to push for a payment plan it can afford, according to Guardian Sport. Atlético Madrid is also interested in Jackson. Villa sees him as a possible replacement for forward Ollie Watkins, who is expected to join Saudi club Al-Hilal.

Other Moves in Motion

West Ham United's rebuild after relegation from the Premier League is continuing, according to Guardian Sport. Left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf is close to joining Brentford for around £35 million ($44 million), a year after West Ham signed him from Slavia Prague for £19 million ($24 million). West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo is reportedly under pressure after a rocky start to the season in the Championship, England's second-tier league, and midfielder Edson Álvarez has drawn interest from Olympiakos and Real Sociedad.