Chelsea transfer news: Danny Welbeck given permission to undergo medical ahead of surprise move to Stamford Bridge

Danny Welbeck has been given permission to undergo a medical in the next 24 hours ahead of his imminent move to Chelsea.

The Brighton striker is on the verge of sealing a switch to Stamford Bridge with a deal close to being finalised.

Chelsea have turned to Welbeck, 35, as they look to add experience to manager Xabi Alonso's squad.

The last time the west London club paid a transfer fee for a player over the age of 26 was four years ago, when they signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona.

It has been two years since Chelsea selected a player over the age of 30 in any game.

Sky Sports News reported earlier this week that initial positive talks had been held regarding a move for Welbeck who has one-year left on his contract at Brighton.

Welbeck has continued to be a reliable goalscorer in the Premier League at 35 years old. Last season he scored 13 times, after scoring 10 in the previous campaign.

His potential arrival would be another example of Chelsea prioritising physically imposing players with Premier League experience this summer.

They have already signed Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for £117m - a record fee for a British player - and are close to bringing in Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix.

It would also place further doubt on the futures of strikers Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap and Marc Guiu.

Chelsea have signed several players from Brighton in recent seasons including their main striker Joao Pedro, plus Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella and Robert Sanchez.

A number of Brighton staff members have also moved to Stamford Bridge over the past four years, including sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Sam Jewell.

BlueCo's drastic change in transfer policy

Analysis from Sky Sports' Callum Bishop:

The BlueCo era at Chelsea has been defined by hoarding some of the best young talent on the planet and developing them in-house. That method has had some successes, but overall, it has not panned out.

There is clearly some recognition and accountability from the top brass about that. In bringing in Alonso as manager, they know they have lucked out in getting one of the most highly-sought-after tacticians in the game. The Spaniard has clearly identified the need for experience and the club are following his lead.

The interest in Granit Xhaka earlier in the summer was among the first signs of the shift. Even making a move for Lacroix is evidence of a change in approach.

The Welbeck move is surprising, but there is some logic that can be applied to it. Is he going to start every week? No. However, Chelsea's four senior strikers have an average age of just 23. Combined, they have made 269 Premier League appearances and scored 74 goals.

The Brighton veteran has 400 appearances and 90 goals on his own. To have that as your back-up to the young guns you want to develop makes sense.

Jordan Henderson? That's a complete 180 degree turn. Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are two of the more experienced players Alonso has. If you had to pick anywhere Chelsea needed a wise head, you would not say midfield.

Yet, they wanted Xhaka. They now want Henderson. Alonso may have been the man to oversee the blossoming of players like Florian Wirtz at Bayer Leverkusen. However, he clearly sees the values of opposite characters and knows Chelsea, and perhaps more importantly, he needs people ready now.