Chelsea are close to completing the signing of Brighton forward Danny Welbeck, who has received approval to undergo a medical at Stamford Bridge.
Welbeck, 35, is expected to meet his new teammates in Hong Kong next week for pre-season preparations before agreeing a two-year deal.
The prospective signing forms part of new head coach Xabi Alonso’s plans to introduce more experience into a Chelsea squad that has been the Premier League’s youngest over the previous two campaigns.
The club’s emphasis on younger players has been regarded as one reason why they have struggled to compete regularly for major trophies.
Near the conclusion of last season’s underwhelming campaign, in which Chelsea placed 10th and failed to secure any silverware, co-owner Behdad Eghbali acknowledged that the club’s transfer strategy required an adjustment.
Chelsea have since submitted a proposal that would reunite 34-year-old Sunderland midfielder Granit Xhaka with Alonso, after the pair lifted the Bundesliga trophy together at Bayer Leverkusen in 2024.
The club have also recruited 26-year-old central defender Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace on a six-year agreement, with confirmation still to come, while negotiations continue for Brentford midfielder Jordan Henderson, 36.
Morgan Rogers, who arrived from Aston Villa earlier this month for a club-record fee of £117m, also offers considerable experience even though he has only recently turned 24.
Chelsea have additionally secured the services of 21-year-old Atalanta full-back Marco Palestra.
Welbeck previously represented Manchester United and Arsenal and has scored 90 times across 400 top-flight matches. He is also Brighton’s highest Premier League goalscorer, having joined them from Watford on a free transfer in 2021.
Adding Welbeck would give Chelsea six established first-team forwards as the club plans to shape its attack around him and Joao Pedro, while making several other players available for loans or permanent transfers.
Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap and Marc Guiu are among the players who may depart, either temporarily or on permanent moves.
The Blues have also acquired Dutch forward Emmanuel Emegha from affiliated club Strasbourg this summer, and he may still be retained in the first-team group.
What do you feel about this post?
Like
Love
Happy
Haha
Sad
