Chelsea Set to Seal Welbeck Deal

Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Brighton forward Danny Welbeck, with the 35-year-old set for a medical at Stamford Bridge after the two clubs agreed a fee.

Despite a string of injury issues throughout his Premier League career, Welbeck has enjoyed something of a renaissance during his time on the south coast. In the last two years in particular, he’s played more football and scored more goals than during any other period.

The 2025-26 season was the most fruitful of Welbeck’s career in front of goal, scoring 13 times in 37 Premier League appearances to help Brighton qualify for the Europa League.

And that form has captured the attention of new Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso, who is seeking to add experience to a squad that has been the youngest for the past two Premier League seasons.

The Blues have also been linked with moves for midfielders Granit Xhaka and Jordan Henderson, with the latter set to move across London for a nominal fee from Brentford.

It’s a stark contrast in strategy from Chelsea, who have tended to focus on spending big on promising young talent, but that has seen them fall short in the battle for trophies, when they’ve often been left behind by more battle-hardened opponents.

That said, they’ve also splashed the cash on Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix, while Morgan Rogers joined from Aston Villa for a British record transfer fee of £117 million.

Chelsea will be hoping Welbeck’s experience can add an extra dimension to a forward line that has talent but can sometimes lack consistency.

Joao Pedro, a former team mate of Welbeck at Brighton, scored 20 in 55 appearances last season but only six in the first half of the season, while Liam Delap found the net only twice in 41 outings in all competitions.

Chelsea begin their Premier League campaign away to Fulham on 24th August.