Welbeck’s addition to Chelsea would be another sign of a change in strategy this summer.
Their move for him follows attempts to sign 33-year-old midfielder Granit Xhaka from Sunderland, with the Black Cats refusing to sell the Switzerland captain.
While the arrival of 23-year-old Rodgers is in line with the club’s preferred policy of signing younger players, he will bring with him significant Premier League experience.
The Blues are also expected to sign 26-year-old Crystal Palace defender Lacroix for £52m to gain further Premier League experience.
However, with Welbeck’s arrival, Chelsea will have plenty of attacking options despite not competing in European competition.
At his age, Welbeck might be happy to cover Joao Pedro, but the move would be bad news for several other strikers.
Jackson is ready to leave, while Delap and Emega were hoping to establish themselves under Alonso.
However, the Chelsea manager gets what he wants: experience and strong personalities to address the shortcomings that contributed to his team finishing 10th in the Premier League last season.