Chelsea allow Xabi Alonso to break strict transfer rule for outrageous Premier League transfer

Chelsea are reportedly considering breaking their transfer policy to sign a Premier League star in a move that nobody saw coming.

Ever since Clearlake Capital officially became Chelsea's majority owner in May 2022, the London club have been incredibly active in the transfer market.

In total, Chelsea have made 51 signings in the four years since Clearlake purchased the club, with the latest being a British transfer record-breaking deal to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for £117million.

Of those 51 that has of course been a varying level of success, with the likes of Cole Palmer and Marc Cucurella becoming some of the club's best players in recent history, while players like Mykhailo Mudryk will be remembered as one of the worst signings in Premier League history.

But across all of the signings it's been clear that Clearlake have a strict policy of targeting young players that can be developed into world class stars or sold on for a profit in later years.

In fact, only two players over the age of 30 have been signed since Clearlake's arrival four years ago, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (33) and Kalidou Koulibaly (31), meaning 96.2% of Chelsea's signings were young players.

But now, it appears Chelsea may be prepared to break this policy once again as a new report from Daily Mail Sport has revealed that Xabi Alonso is considering a shock move to sign Danny Welbeck from Brighton & Hove Albion.

The 35-year-old striker has 12 months left on his current contract and, although the situation is said to be at an early stage, it is believed that all sides are confident a deal can be done.

It is believed that Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso is eager to sign Welbeck as he views him as a player and a leader that could play a key role in his new team.

Last season Welbeck enjoyed his best season to date, playing in all but but one of Brighton’s 38 Premier League fixtures and scoring 13 goals, leading to some fans suggesting he deserved a call-up for the England World Cup squad.

READ MORE: Chelsea identify former Man United player as Marc Cucurella replacement

Aston Villa working on record deal for Chelsea striker

Should he make the move to Chelsea, it is likely he would do so accepting that he would arrive as the back-up striker, with Joao Pedro expected to continue as the first-choice pick up front.

But with Nicolas Jackson reportedly in talks to join Aston Villa this summer, Welbeck would likely still get regular minutes throughout the season, something which may benefit a player entering the final years of his career.

According to recent reports, Unai Emery is eager to reunite with the Jackson, having managed him at Villarreal, with the fee needed to secure his signature set to be around £65m.

That being said, Chelsea do still have five strikers at the club with Pedro, Emmanuel Emegha, Liam Delap, Jackson and Marc Guiu.

However, alongside the permanent move for Jackson, it is believed that Chelsea are working on other sales or loans for some of their other strikers.