Chelsea lead race in shock move to sign Jordan Henderson on free transfer

Chelsea are working on a deal to sign England international Jordan Henderson, talkSPORT understands.

Brentford have given permission for the 36-year-old to leave on a free transfer this summer.

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Henderson is keen on a move to Stamford Bridge ahead of the new Premier League season.

Xabi Alonso’s side currently lead the race to sign the veteran midfielder.

Having signed for the Bees on a two-year deal last summer, Henderson has less than 12 months remaining on his current deal.

The Liverpool legend, who boasts a Premier League winners’ medal to his name made 32 league appearances last season, scoring once and adding three assists.

Blues target

He was also part of England’s squad at this summer’s World Cup in North America.

However, Henderson made just one appearance for the Three Lions, with his tournament ending early after surgery on a broken radius.

The injury, which he suffered celebrating England’s last 16 win over Mexico, ruled Henderson out of the final three fixtures.

He was still able to collect a bronze medal following the third-place play-off win over France, though.

Henderson’s move to Brentford in July 2025 followed spells with Ajax and Al Ettifaq since his Liverpool exit three years ago.

During his time at Anfield, he won eight major trophies including the Champions League, Premier League and Club World Cup.

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Across spells with Liverpool, Sunderland and Brentford, Henderson has made a total of 463 Premier League appearances.

Meanwhile, he has scored 34 goals and provided 56 assists in those outings.

Chelsea transfer plans

Alonso’s interest in Henderson comes as Chelsea weigh up a move for Brighton striker Danny Welbeck.

Talks are at an early stage between the two clubs regarding the veteran forward, talkSPORT understands.

Welbeck’s Seagulls contract is currently set to expire at the end of June 2027.

Brighton would not stand in his way of an exit if a fee can be agreed.

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Since joining the club in October 2020, Welbeck has scored 51 goals in 201 appearances across all competitions.

Last term saw the 35-year-old produce a career-high Premier League goal tally for the second year in a row after finding the net 13 times.

talkSPORT verdict

Ade Oladipo and Rory Jennings both reacted to the news of Chelsea’s interest in Henderson on Drive.

Jennings had earlier claimed that Chelsea need an experienced title winner like Welbeck in the dressing room.

When Oladipo put those comments back to him, he replied: “I don’t think we need a dressing room full of it.”

The talkSPORT co-host continued: “I don’t think you need to sign the England team of 2018. I don’t think that’s what we need to do.

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“I think what we need to do is bring in some standards for sure. I don’t think Jordan Henderson is the right answer.

“I quite like Henderson. I don’t necessarily rate him, but I quite like him.

“I think what he did for Liverpool was an integral part of their success. He was an integral part of everything that Jurgen Klopp built.”

Jennings then added: “We’ve had a transfer strategy over the past four years where we’ve bought nothing but young, unproven footballers. Something needs to change. You need to equalise it.

“So I do understand what Xabi Alonso’s problem is. I do understand why he’s thinking about a way of resolving this. I would argue that Jordan Henderson isn’t quite the answer.

“You know when it was Granit Xhaka? That made more sense to me. Granit Xhaka is still a good player, still a player that can do a job.

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“I’m not convinced that Jordan Henderson is the answer. I’m not convinced that he’s ready to play at this level. The fact that we’re linked with him is minorly troubling.”

Chelsea were linked with a move for Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka earlier this summer, but have been issued with a firm hands-off warning.

Meanwhile, Alonso has already added to his squad with the British-record £117million addition of Morgan Rogers.

The England forward has joined the club from Aston Villa on a seven-year deal.