Danny Welbeck transfer news: Chelsea hold talks with Brighton over striker’s signing | Football News
Chelsea have held preliminary talks with Brighton over a Danny Welbeck deal.
With a year left on his contract, Brighton are unwilling to stand in the striker’s way as long as they get a fair price for his sale.
Welbeck has continued to be a reliable goalscorer in the Premier League at the age of 35. Last season he scored 13 goals, after scoring 10 in the previous campaign.
His arrival could be another example of Chelsea prioritizing physical players with Premier League experience this summer.
They have already signed Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for £117m – a record fee for a British player – and are set to sign Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix.
It will also cast doubt on the future of strikers Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap and Marc Guiu.
Chelsea have signed a number of Brighton players in recent seasons including their star striker Joao Pedro, as well as Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella and Robert Sanchez.
A number of Brighton staff have also moved to Stamford Bridge in the past four years, including sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Sam Jewell.
Chelsea raid Brighton again – but this time it’s different
Commentary from Sky Sports’ Callum Bishop:
Chelsea moving a Brighton player is not an ordinary thing. However, Chelsea are making a move for the Brighton player who is in his mid-30s.
BlueCo’s era has been defined by recruiting some of the best new talent in the world and developing them in-house. That approach had some success, but overall, it didn’t.
Obviously there is some recognition and accountability from the top about that. By signing Xabi Alonso as manager, they know they have succeeded in getting one of the most sought-after tacticians in the game. The Spaniard has clearly explained the need for experience and the club is following his lead.
Interest in Granit Xhaka at the start of the summer was among the first signs of change. Even Maxence Lacroix’s move to Crystal Palace is evidence of a change in direction.
Welbeck, however, is the biggest target at the moment. Will you start every week? No. However, Chelsea’s four senior strikers are only 23 years old on average. Together, they have played 269 Premier League games and scored 74 goals.
The Brighton veteran has made 400 appearances and 90 goals in his own right. Chelsea are crying out for these experienced heads to guide the way. Alonso has identified that and those above him seem to be finally taking notice.
Chelsea’s most important summer business so far
In
Morgan Rogers – Aston Villa, £117m
Geovany Quenda – Sports, £43.5m
Marco Palestra – Atalanta, £43m
Denner – Corinthians, £8.7m
Dastan Satpaev – Kairat Almaty, £2.1m
Emmanuel Emegha – Strasbourg, undisclosed
Get out
Marc Cucurella – Real Madrid, £51.8m
Andrey Santos – Man Utd, £50m
Tyrique George – Everton, £24m
Jimmy-Jay Morgan – West Brom, £4m
