Chelsea Sign Veteran Striker Danny Welbeck; Brentford and Bournemouth Also Announce Transfers

Chelsea have signed Brighton’s veteran striker Danny Welbeck in a deal worth a reported £5m. Welbeck has agreed a two-year contract and will link up with Xabi Alonso’s squad on their pre-season tour.

The 35-year-old’s move to Stamford Bridge is a break from Chelsea’s policy of signing younger players with the potential to be developed. It is the first time they have paid a transfer fee for a player over the age of 26 since they signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona in 2022 when the striker was 33.

“When you hear of interest from Chelsea, it’s something that fills you with such immense pride. Knowing the history of Chelsea, it’s a club that wants to win trophies and is pushing to do that every single season,” Welbeck said.

“I’m really honoured to come to a club of this stature at what feels like a really exciting time. I know a few of the boys already and I’ve had fantastic conversations with the manager and already feel that connection. I’ve got that fire in my belly and I’m ready to give it everything for this club to make everyone at Chelsea, and the supporters, proud.”

Alonso was keen to add experience to his squad after last season’s disappointing 10th-place finish in the Premier League. He opted for Welbeck after the former Manchester United and Arsenal forward enjoyed a memorable campaign with Brighton.

Welbeck, who has 42 caps for England, scored 13 goals in 37 Premier League games last term after netting 10 times in 2024-25.

Welbeck’s arrival in west London will raise questions about the future of Chelsea striker Liam Delap, who signed from Ipswich last season, as well as fellow forwards Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu.

Welbeck is the latest player to move from Brighton to Chelsea in recent years after João Pedro, Moisés Caicedo, Robert Sánchez and Marc Cucurella, who joined Real Madrid earlier this summer.

Chelsea spent a British record £117m to sign the England forward Morgan Rogers, 24, from Aston Villa in July. They also secured the France defender Maxence Lacroix, 26, from Crystal Palace for £52m earlier this week and signed Atalanta defender Marco Palestra, 21, for £43m.

Brentford seal record Sangaré deal

Brentford have signed the Mali international Mamadou Sangaré from ⁠Lens for a club-record fee, reported to be £39m. Sangaré, 24, joins Brentford on a five-year contract, with ⁠the option to extend for another year.

“Mamadou ​is someone ‌that we’ve tracked ‌for quite some time. He’s been on ‌our radar and was a player we were really keen to bring in,” the Brentford head coach Keith Andrews said. “He’s a humble young man, but he’s equally as ⁠determined to succeed in his career. He ​fits ​everything we want from ​a Brentford player, on and ​off the ‌pitch.”

Sangaré left Austria’s Rapid Vienna to ‌join Lens last year, and featured prominently as they won the ​French Cup for the first time and finished second in Ligue 1.

Bournemouth have announced the signing of António Silva from Benfica for a fee believed to be in the region of £25m. The 22-year-old defender becomes new manager Marco Rose’s second signing of the summer after the arrival of Álvaro Rodríguez earlier this week.

Silva made 235 senior appearances for Benfica and collected six major honours during his time in Portugal. He told the club website: “I am very happy to be here. It’s a pleasure to play for Bournemouth and in the Premier League.

“The mentality is always to win. I will try my best, and I will play for the fans. We have everything here that helps us perform on the pitch, and I can’t wait to get started.”