Nottingham Forest submit enquiry to sign “sensational” £40m Igor Thiago alternative
Nottingham Forest have submitted an enquiry regarding a deal for Chelsea striker Liam Delap, who could be signed as an alternative to Brentford’s Igor Thiago.
Forest are eager to bring in a new striker before the September 1st deadline, and they have submitted a £70m offer for Thiago, who scored 22 Premier League goals for Brentford last season, the second-highest number behind Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
|
Premier League performance 2025-26 |
Liam Delap |
Igor Thiago |
|
Goals per 90 |
0.08 |
0.60 |
|
Shots on target per 90 |
0.9 |
1.2 |
|
Assists |
1 |
1 |
|
Successful dribbles per 90 |
0.8 |
0.8 |
|
Chances created per 90 |
0.2 |
0.7 |
Delap wasn’t quite as prolific during his debut campaign with Chelsea, netting just one goal in the Premier League, and he featured for just 1,101 minutes across the entire season, having struggled on the injury front.
However, the former Ipswich Town man impressed during his time with the Tractor Boys, getting on the scoresheet 12 times in 37 Premier League matches in the 2024-25 season, which shows he has what it takes to succeed in the top tier.
Journalist Jacob Schneider lauded the English marksman as “sensational” when he was an Ipswich player, and there are encouraging signs that a deal could be possible, with Chelsea prepared to sanction a sale for £40m this summer.
The Tricky Trees lacked a reliable centre-forward in the Premier League last season, with Igor Jesus bagging just six goals, while Taiwo Awoniyi and Chris Wood scored seven between them, and they looked poor from an attacking point of view on the opening day of the season.
Oliver Glasner got off to a poor start in his first competitive game at the City Ground, with his side losing 1-0 at home against Leeds United, and Jesus recorded an xG of just 0.22, underlining the need to sign a new striker.
Earlier this week, Forest entered the race to sign Delap, and there has now been a further update on their pursuit.
Nottingham Forest lodge enquiry to sign Liam Delap
Nottingham Forest have now made contact regarding a deal for Delap, Football FanCast sources understand. The conditions of a move are being explored by senior club officials who have reached out to Chelsea over the course of the last week.
However, there is widespread competition in the race for his signature. Everton have now emerged as the favourites to sign the former Manchester City man, while Newcastle United have also made fresh contact, so the Tricky Trees will need to fend off interest from their Premier League rivals.
With Thiago scoring 21 more goals than Delap in the Premier League last season, it would make sense for the Brazilian to be Forest’s priority target, but he remains under contract with the Bees until 2031.
As such, the Chelsea striker could be a decent alternative option, but the £40m price tag is a little steep, considering the Blues forked out £30m to sign him last summer.
