Chelsea agree two-year deal to sign Danny Welbeck from Brighton with striker, 35, set to join pre-season tour

CHELSEA have agreed a two-year deal with Danny Welbeck and hope to have him join their pre-season tour next week. Terms are in place with Brighton over a deal for the 35-year-old striker, as part of a drive for experience at Stamford Bridge. Danny Welbeck is set to join Chelsea from Brighton Credit: Getty The striker is expected to join the squad in Hong Kong for pre-season Credit: Getty Jordan Henderson, the England and Brentford midfielder, is also close to joining the Blues. Chelsea are currently in Sydney for the first leg of their pre-season tour, which began with a 6-4 win over Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday. Sign up for the Chelsea newsletter Thank you! This weekend, after facing Tottenham in New South Wales, Alonso and his squad travel to face Juventus in Hong Kong. A number of first team players, back from their break after the World Cup, are due to join up with the squad there. Should everything be sealed swiftly, as is expected, the plan is for Welbeck to make the trip to Asia too. The former England striker, who played against his soon-to-be new boss three times earlier in his career, scored 13 goals in 37 Premier League appearances last season. Welbeck is now due for a medical with the Blues, who are set to become the fifth permanent club of his career. A season of inconsistent form and poor discipline convinced Chelsea and their new manager that a change in strategy and more seniority was needed to compete on a regular basis. Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS After a failed £8million move for Granit Xhaka, the heartbeat of Alonso’s title-winning Bayer Leverkusen side, the Blues are moving quickly to land Welbeck and Henderson. After nearly a week in Hong Kong, Chelsea travel to face AC Milan in Jakarta and Johor Darul Ta’zim in Malaysia before returning to London. Their pre-season will be completed by a meeting with Alonso’s boyhood club, Real Sociedad, at Stamford Bridge on August 15. Welbeck joined Brighton in 2020 on a free transfer after leaving Watford. Jordan Henderson is also close to joining Chelsea Credit: Getty Danny Welbeck scored three times against Chelsea last season Credit: AFP He has gone on to make 201 appearances for the club in all competitions and scored a total of 51 goals. The striker became the club’s record goalscorer in the Premier League when he surpassed Glenn Murray and Neal Maupay‘s tally of 26. Welbeck also boasted a good record against Chelsea throughout his career. In his last seven meetings with the Blues, he has scored five goals and assisted two more. Last season, Welbeck scored three times against Chelsea, with a brace in a 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge before a goal in a 3-0 Amex victory. The Chelsea Blueprint on YouTube Calling all Chelsea fans - we have a brand new YouTube channel! Comment now