Henderson nears Chelsea move as Welbeck has medical

Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Danny Welbeck while Jordan Henderson has cancelled his Brentford contract to enable a move to Stamford Bridge. Henderson, 36, was under contract until 2027 but the Bees confirmed they had reached a mutual agreement with the England midfielder to terminate his deal. Welbeck, 35, has agreed a two-year deal and has been given permission by Brighton to conduct a medical at Stamford Bridge.

A fee for the striker has also been agreed but remains undisclosed as Chelsea tie up the deal for him to join pre-season in Hong Kong after Chelsea‘s final match in Australia against Tottenham on Saturday evening. Welbeck will become the oldest signing under the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital ownership, until Henderson’s likely arrival with the west Londoners. It is part of new manager Xabi Alonso’s drive to add experience to Chelsea‘s squad, which has been the youngest in the Premier League for the past two seasons.

Their focus on youth has been viewed as a factor in their inability to challenge consistently for major honours. Towards the end of last season’s disappointing campaign, when they finished 10th and won nothing, Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali said their recruitment model needed a “tweak”. Since then, Chelsea have made an offer to reunite Sunderland midfielder Granit Xhaka, 34, with Alonso – they won the Bundesliga title together at Bayer Leverkusen in 2024.

They have also signed 26-year-old centre-back Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace on a six-year contract, pending an official announcement, while talks continue over Henderson. Morgan Rogers, who signed for a club-record £117m from Aston Villa earlier this month, is relatively experienced, despite having just turned 24. The club have also signed 21-year-old full-back Marco Palestra from Atalanta.

Welbeck, formerly of Manchester United and Arsenal, has hit 90 goals in 400 top-flight appearances – and is the leading Premier League scorer at Brighton, who he joined on a free transfer from Watford in 2021. His arrival would leave Chelsea with six senior strikers on their books, with others available for loan or sale. Among those who could leave on either a permanent deal or loan are Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap and Marc Guiu.

The Blues have also brought in Dutch striker Emmanuel Emegha from sister club Strasbourg this summer and he could remain part of the squad.