The first of Chelsea's striker exits has been confirmed.
Chelsea have confirmed Liam Delap's departure after reaching an agreement with Nottingham Forest.
The 23-year-old leaves Chelsea after just one season following his £30 million arrival from Ipswich Town last summer.
After a debut season at Stamford Bridge affected by injuries, Delap struggled to find his form, scoring two goals in 41 appearances across all competitions.
Chelsea's summer plan saw Xabi Alonso's side decide on the three strikers they wanted to take into the new season, and Delap was surplus to requirements after the club's pre-season tour of Australia and Asia.
Delap attracted interest from several Premier League clubs, but a deal worth £50m was reached with Nottingham Forest for his services.
An initial £45m plus an additional £5m in add-ons, which offers the Blues a healthy profit on the books despite Delap's form and being at the club for one year.
"I really can’t wait to get started, this is a massive club with a big history," Delap told Forest's club media upon signing at the City Ground.
Delap leaves Chelsea having won the Club World Cup under former head coach Enzo Maresca last summer.
But with Chelsea's decision to have Joao Pedro and new arrivals Danny Welbeck and Emmanuel Emegha as their three forwards, the writing was on the wall for Delap's future, regardless of how much he wanted another season to prove himself.
Even more so when Delap, who wore the number nine at Chelsea, saw Joao Pedro vacate his number 20 to take Delap's number, indicating a departure was on the cards.
One down, two to go
Delap's departure is the first of three expected to be finalised before the September 1 deadline.
Discussions are ongoing to offload fellow strikers Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu.
Aston Villa have agreed a deal worth up to £65m for Jackson, while Napoli are hoping to finalise a permanent deal for Guiu, who Chelsea value at around £25m.
If Chelsea can get their asking price for Guiu, they will recoup around £140m, offering a staggering return for the Blues, who are also keen to balance the books after their heavy summer spending.
It's set to be a busy end to the transfer window for Chelsea, but all parties would have been satisfied with Delap finalising his move for regular game time.
Unfortunately for Chelsea and Delap, it didn't work out on the pitch as they might have hoped. But financially, it was a low-risk move, and Chelsea have benefited from it a year on.
