Chelsea is pursuing transfers for defender Maxence Lacroix, striker Danny Welbeck, and midfielder Jordan Henderson, signaling a shift in strategy toward experienced players.
Lacroix, 26, is a £52 million target from Crystal Palace and France, while Welbeck, 35, from Brighton, and 36-year-old Henderson from Brentford are also being considered.
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Welbeck's potential signing could replace 23-year-old Liam Delap in the first team, despite Delap being one of the Premier League's most promising young strikers.
Mixed Results from Past Experience
The interest in older players marks a change from Chelsea's recent focus on youth signings.
In 2022, under then-manager Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea signed experienced players like Raheem Sterling (27), Kalidou Koulibaly (31), and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (33).
However, these signings failed to meet expectations and left the club quickly, with Sterling and Aubameyang departing on free transfers and Koulibaly leaving after one season.
Following these outcomes, Chelsea shifted focus to younger talent, signing players such as Enzo Fernandez (22), Moises Caicedo (21), and Cole Palmer (21).
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These signings produced notable successes, with Fernandez delivering 24 assists across two seasons and Caicedo becoming a leading Premier League midfielder.
Some young signings, however, struggled.
Mykhailo Mudryk (22) received a four-year ban after a doping violation, Joao Felix (23) failed to impress in two stints, and Wesley Fofana (21) suffered injuries that limited his impact.
Chelsea's Premier League performance has been inconsistent, finishing 12th in 2022-23, improving to sixth and fourth in the next two seasons, but dropping to 10th last season.
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Since 2022, the club has won two trophies: the Conference League and the Club World Cup.
