Liam Delap: Nottingham Forest are now favourites to sign Chelsea star
Nottingham Forest are leading the betting market to be Liam Delap's next club as they battle several sides to seal a deal with Chelsea.
Delap struggled to make his mark at Chelsea last season following a £30million move from Ipswich Town.
He has been heavily linked with a move away from the club this summer after scoring just three goals in 48 appearances in his debut campaign.
New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has a wealth of forward options to choose from after adding veteran striker Danny Welbeck to his ranks earlier in the window.
Delap is believed to be keen to remain at Stamford Bridge and fight for a place in the team, but will be allowed to leave and is set to prioritise staying in the Premier League.
Forest are among the clubs in the race for his services, and a top UK bookmaker has made them the frontrunners to agree on a deal with the Blues.
Nottingham Forest leading PL clubs in odds to sign Liam Delap
Delap was only handed 12 league starts last season, and that tally is only likely to decrease if he stays at Chelsea this summer.
New Forest boss Oliver Glasner is searching for a new centre-forward to provide competition to his current options, after Taiwo Awoniyi left for Coventry earlier this week.
Delap's form at Ipswich has proven that he can thrive in a certain system, and Forest are the current bookies' favourites to sign him before the window closes at odds of 4/1.
Newcastle are up next at 5/1 odds, while Everton (6/1) and Aston Villa (8/1) are among the other clubs mooted to land his services.
What is the current striker situation at Chelsea?
Sources have exclusively revealed to Football Insider that Delap is open to joining Newcastle this summer, yet Forest look to be his most likely next destination as it stands.
He has been competing for minutes in pre-season with Welbeck, Joao Pedro and Nicolas Jackson, while new Chelsea signing Emanuel Emegha remains sidelined with an injury.
Reports have claimed that Emegha will remain part of Alonso's squad alongside Pedro and Welbeck, while Jackson looks set to leave alongside Delap.
Neither player was part of their final friendly against Real Sociedad over last weekend, pointing towards exits being likely in the coming weeks.