RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Football reporter Published 1 hour ago Chelsea are in talks to sign Brighton striker Danny Welbeck.
The 35-year-old is keen on moving to Stamford Bridge and there is optimism from Chelsea 's side that a deal can be concluded.
The Blues are looking for experience because of an acceptance that their model of signing young players needs a "tweak" - according to influential owner Behdad Eghbali in April - and Welbeck could be a good fit.
He scored a career-high 13 league goals in 37 games for Brighton last season, taking his tally to 51 goals in 201 matches since joining from Watford in 2020.
Welbeck signed a 12-month contract extension in March, with his current deal running until the end of the 2026-27 season.
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Chelsea also have Liam Delap, Emmanuel Emegha, Marc Guiu and Nicolas Jackson on their books.
Guiu is understood to be available for a permanent transfer or a loan move, with Chelsea valuing him at about £25m.
Jackson, who has returned from a loan spell at Bayern Munich, was expected to remain at Stamford Bridge but is open to leaving amid interest from Aston Villa .
Delap was keen to establish himself under new manager Xabi Alonso, just a year after a £30m move from Ipswich, but he is increasingly expected to depart.
There is also uncertainty surrounding the future of Dutch striker Emegha, despite having only recently joined Chelsea from Strasbourg, a club within the same ownership group.
Chelsea have signed club-record £117m attacker Morgan Rogers, full-back Marco Palestra and are closing in on a move for centre-back Maxence Lacroix this summer.
Welbeck joining Chelsea would be another sign of a shift in strategy this summer.
Their move for him follows attempts to sign 33-year-old midfielder Granit Xhaka from Sunderland , with the Black Cats refusing to sell the Switzerland captain.
Although the arrival of Rogers, 23, fits the club's preferred policy of signing younger players, he brings significant Premier League experience.
The Blues are also expected to complete a £52m move for Crystal Palace defender Lacroix, 26, to add further Premier League-ready experience.
However, Welbeck's arrival would leave Chelsea with an abundance of attacking options despite not being involved in European competition.
At his age, Welbeck may be content to provide cover for Joao Pedro, but the move would represent bad news for several other forwards.
Jackson is open to leaving, while Delap and Emegha had hoped to establish themselves under Alonso.
Nevertheless, the Chelsea manager is getting what he wants: experience and strong personalities to address shortcomings that contributed to the team's 10th-place finish in the Premier League last season.
Rogers and Palmer can play together - Alonso
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