Chelsea transfer news: Henderson, Welbeck, Lacroix – why do Blues want older players now?

Owner Behdad Eghbali said he would “fine-tune” Chelsea’s model and add experience to what he believes is a strong core of young players, including Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Levi Colwill.

Welbeck joining Chelsea would be another sign of a change in strategy.

Their move for him comes after the Black Cats refused to sell the Switzerland captain following attempts to sign 33-year-old midfielder Granit Xhaka from Sunderland.

While the arrival of 23-year-old Rogers fits into the club’s policy of signing preferred young players, he also brings significant Premier League experience.

The Blues are also expected to make a £52m move for 26-year-old Lacroix; This means a Premier League-ready experience.

It is clear that Welbeck’s arrival would leave Chelsea with plenty of attacking options in a season where they are not in European competition and therefore do not need such resources.

Welbeck may be content to provide cover for Joao Pedro at this age, but the move could spell bad news for many other forwards.

While Nicolas Jackson was open to leaving, Delap and Emmanuel Emegha were hoping to settle under Alonso.

Still, the Chelsea manager gets what he wants: experience and strong personalities will address the deficiencies that contributed to the team finishing 10th in the Premier League last season.

Additional reporting by Matt Jones