Nottingham Forest have submitted an enquiry to sign Chelsea striker Liam Delap as they push to bring in a new forward before the September 1st deadline.
Forest have made the £40m-rated Delap a serious target, with senior club officials reaching out to Chelsea over the course of the last week to explore the conditions of a potential move.
The Tricky Trees remain firmly in pursuit of Brentford striker Igor Thiago, having already submitted a £70m offer for the Brazilian forward this summer.
Thiago was nothing short of extraordinary last season, scoring 22 Premier League goals for Brentford, the second-highest tally in the division behind Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
With Thiago under contract with the Bees until 2031, Forest are clearly preparing contingency plans should a deal prove impossible to complete before the window closes.
Delap endured a difficult debut campaign at Chelsea, netting just one Premier League goal while managing only 1,101 minutes of action after struggling with injury throughout the season.
However, the former Ipswich Town man demonstrated his top-flight credentials during his time with the Tractor Boys, scoring 12 goals in 37 Premier League matches in the 2024-25 season.
Journalist Jacob Schneider previously lauded the English striker as “sensational” during his time at Ipswich, and Chelsea are understood to be willing to sanction his departure for £40m this summer.
Forest’s need for a striker is well documented, with Igor Jesus managing just six Premier League goals last season while Taiwo Awoniyi and Chris Wood combined for only seven between them.
Oliver Glasner’s side made a poor start to the new campaign, losing 1-0 at home against Leeds United on the opening day, with Jesus recording an xG of just 0.22 in that match.
The situation underlines the urgency behind Forest’s pursuit of a quality centre-forward before the transfer window slams shut at the start of September.
Delap’s path to the City Ground is far from straightforward, however, with Everton now emerging as favourites to sign the former Manchester City man and Newcastle United also having made fresh contact over a deal.
Chelsea paid £30m to sign Delap last summer, meaning the £40m asking price represents a modest profit for the London club on a player who failed to fully deliver during his debut season.
Forest will need to move quickly and decisively if they are to fend off competition from Everton and Newcastle United and secure the striker Glasner so desperately needs.