Chelsea have registered an interest in signing Brighton & Hove Albion forward Danny Welbeck, as Xabi Alonso looks to further bolster his attacking options.

Negotiations are reportedly underway between the Premier League sides to complete a deal for the former Manchester United and Arsenal attacker, in time for the upcoming season.

Optimism is high that a deal can be finalised, with Brighton understood to be open to sanctioning the departure of the forward, who has a year remaining on his current contract, should the right offer be made.

The 35-year-old English striker has been reborn at the Amex since he arrived in 2020, and his goalscoring form last season has been enough to wake up some of the big names again.

Since joining Brighton, Welbeck has established himself as an important figure both on and off the pitch. His versatility allows him to play as a central striker, second forward or wide attacker, while his work rate and pressing ability have consistently earned praise from managers and teammates alike.

The veteran striker is coming off one of the most productive seasons of his career after scoring 13 Premier League goals for Brighton. His performances played a significant role in helping the Seagulls secure European football and reinforced his reputation as one of the league's most reliable forwards.

Welbeck is considered an influential figure in Fabian Hurzeler’s dressing room, with the German tactician two years younger than his No.18. He is a standard setter for his younger teammates and this leadership off the pitch is considered as important as his contributions on it.

With Chelsea having struggled with their attitude and discipline under both Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior last season, the Blues are moving away from their recruitment model of exclusively targeting youngsters yet to enter their prime.

The signing of Welbeck would add experience to Chelsea's squad, which appears to be a priority for new boss Xabi Alonso.

Chelsea already have Joao Pedro, Emanuel Emegha, Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap and Marc Guiu as centre-forward options.

Of those five players, only Pedro is certain to stay at Stamford Bridge, whereas Guiu will almost certainly move elsewhere.

Delap will likely follow the Spaniard out of the West Londoners, but uncertainty remains over who will compete with Pedro for the number nine role.

Emegha will spend around three weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, while Jackson, after a loan spell at Bayern Munich, will start pre-season in the coming days at a time when he is being linked with Aston Villa.