Forest working on deal for Chelsea striker Delap

Nottingham Forest are in discussions to sign Chelsea forward Liam Delap, who has been made available for transfer by his current club for a fee of £50m. The 23-year-old has scored only one Premier League goal this season, despite missing time due to shoulder and hamstring injuries. Delap has been practicing independently from his Chelsea teammates.

It is uncertain whether the negotiations are for a permanent transfer or a loan deal, though the two clubs maintain a cooperative relationship. Delap was recently dropped from Chelsea's squad for their match against Fulham, relinquishing the number nine jersey to Joao Pedro. His potential move comes just over a year since he joined Chelsea from Ipswich Town for £30m.

Forest have made several additions this summer, including signing defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting for £34m and bringing in Xaver Schlager and Steve Benda from free agency. However, they have also offloaded players such as midfielder Elliot Anderson to Manchester City for a British record £116m and striker Taiwo Awoniyi to Coventry City for £9m.

Delap's arrival at Forest would provide competition for Chris Wood and Igor Jesus at the City Ground. Chelsea are actively seeking to sell or loan out players before the September 1 transfer deadline, currently fielding 39 senior players. The future of Delap and whether he can regain his form remains to be seen.