The £68m striker Nottingham Forest must prioritise over Liam Delap

After the 2024/25 campaign, the one position Nottingham Forest needed to strengthen the least was the centre-forward position, after the impact of Chris Wood.

The New Zealand international netted a staggering 20 Premier League goals as the Reds finished seventh and secured a memorable return to European football.

However, his long-term knee injury last season saw the club endure a centre-forward crisis, with no striker in the senior ranks able to net more than six top-flight goals.

Such form, coupled with Taiwo Awoniyi’s departure to join Coventry City, has led the hierarchy to explore deals in the market – which could see one player arrive at the City Ground in the days ahead.

Why Delap could thrive under Glasner at Forest

New boss Oliver Glasner has been hunting for a new striker ever since his arrival at Forest, but it appears as though the Austrian is about to finally get the needed reinforcement.

Liam Delap has been a long-standing target for the Reds in recent years, with talks continuously being held with Chelsea over a possible deal to land the 23-year-old.

It was confirmed on Tuesday night that a club-record deal worth £50m had been agreed with the Blues to bring him to the City Ground.

Whilst he only netted once last season, Delap has all the tools needed to be a success in Glasner’s system and such a move could reignite his once promising career at the top-level.

The forward has gained a reputation for being somewhat of a warrior and someone who likes to put himself around and bully defenders – something which the Reds have desperately been lacking.

He also possesses a burst of pace which has seen him often run the channels and get in behind the opposition defenders – another quality which has been lacking given Wood’s age and injury issues.

Delap has previously provided the goods within attacking areas, as seen in 2024/25, where the forward netted 12 league goals for Ipswich Town despite suffering relegation.

How Forest can land a bigger talent than Delap this summer

Despite a deal for the Chelsea star edging ever closer in recent days, Forest are still in the market for added attacking options to provide needed depth and quality for Glasner.

Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta has once again emerged on their radar, but given the current situation between the two clubs, a deal is highly unlikely.

However, the Frenchman isn’t the only forward option currently in the hierarchy’s sights, with Sporting CP talisman Luis Suárez another talent being considered.

It’s been reported by French outlet L’Equipe that the Reds have started work on a deal for the Colombian international in a bid to gain more information on a potential deal.

The report also states that Barcelona are long-term admirers of the 28-year-old and could yet enter the frame once again before the end of the current window.

However, any deal would be a club-record for the Reds, as the attacking star currently has an €80m (£68m) release clause and the Portuguese side are unwilling to negotiate such a fee.

Such a figure is undoubtedly an eye-watering one, and it remains unclear if the hierarchy would be willing to drop such a figure on a new attacker in the coming days.

However, one thing is for sure, Suarez has proven himself as a leading talent in European football and has constantly delivered the goods in front of goal over recent seasons.

He only joined the Portuguese outfit last summer, but made an immediate impact after replacing Viktor Gyokeres – subsequently netting 38 goals in his 53 appearances across all competitions.

His subsequent goal tally was levels above that produced by fellow target Delap, with Suarez even taking his talent to the European stage as he netted five efforts in the Champions League.

His underlying stats further highlight his dominance over the Englishman, with a deal for the Colombian international handing Glasner the elite-level talisman he’s currently craving.

The Sporting star registered an impressive tally of 2.1 shots on target, with such a figure ranking him way above the Chelsea star and 90% of strikers across Europe.

However, away from his goalscoring ability, Suarez also managed to impress, subsequently creating 1.6 chances per 90 – allowing him to lay on eight assists for his teammates.

Such a quality could allow other attackers within Glasner’s 3-4-2-1 system to also improve their own tallies – which could make the Reds a huge force to be reckoned with in the Premier League.

His dominance over Delap was further evident in his tally of 8.3 touches in the opposition box per 90 – the most of any striker in Europe – with such a figure showcasing his fox-in-the-box nature.

It remains unclear whether Suarez would be a realistic target for Forest at this stage, but such a deal highlights the hierarchy’s ambition to back the new manager.

Such a deal would hand the club the elite-level talisman they currently lack and hand the fanbase a striker to get excited about in the club’s hunt to return to European football.