Chelsea close in on Danny Welbeck transfer as Xabi Alonso causes a shock | Football | Sport

Chelsea have opened talks with Brighton about a possible move for Danny Welbeck. It has come to light that club to club negotiations have begun between the Blues and the Seagulls, with a view to bringing the striker to Stamford Bridge for the new campaign.

At 35 and entering the latter stages of his career, Welbeck turned back the clock with Brighton last term, netting 14 goals and providing two assists in all competitions. And consequently, the hierarchy in West London have started talks to bring him in ahead of the 2026/27 campaign to bolster Xabi Alonso’s options up top.

While Joao Pedro registered 15 goals and eight assists in the Premier League last season, Liam Delap scored just once despite featuring 28 times, raising questions about his suitability for the club and his future.

The signing of Welbeck would certainly strengthen Chelsea’s attacking options, particularly if Alonso can extract his best form. Brighton refused to comment on the matter when contacted.

While Chelsea may have experienced a slow start to the summer transfer window, it now seems as though the senior figures at the Blues have begun to set things in motion.

They have welcomed Morgan Rogers, Marco Palestra, Geovany Quenda, Emmanuel Emegha, Denner and Dastan Satpaev to the club this summer, though most of those deals were done before this summer.

The surprise swoop for Welbeck comes after a failed attempt to inject experience into the squad in the midfield department, with the Londoners failing in an £8million bid to sign Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka last month.

Rogers cost a huge £117m to join from Aston Villa. The attacker, who played at the World Cup for England, has signed a contract until 2033 at Stamford Bridge and said: “I’m so excited. For me, Chelsea are the biggest club in London and a club I’ve always admired since I was a kid.

“I’m really excited about the project with the new manager, the players we’ve got and where the club is heading. That’s why I’m here and I can’t wait to get started.”

Alonso added: “In that position we needed an important player and I’m sure there were not many better options than Morgan Rogers.

“You need players who can have that almost instant impact and I’m sure Morgan won’t need much time to adapt to the club, the system and his team-mates. That was the idea, to get a top player, and Morgan is one of them.”