Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign veteran midfielder Jordan Henderson after he came to an agreement with Brentford to mutually terminate his contract a year early.
Standard Sport understands that an agreement has been reached for the 36-year-old to move to Stamford Bridge as a free agent, though he will not join the club’s pre-season tour of Australia and Asia.
Henderson signed a two-year deal to join Brentford from Ajax last summer and made 34 appearances in all competitions as the Bees secured a ninth-place finish in the Premier League. He has agreed a two-year deal with the Blues.
During discussions last summer, Henderson and Brentford agreed that they would talk about what each other’s targets were for the second year of his contract.
After being called up to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the World Cup, in turn becoming the first England player to be selected for seven tournaments, Henderson then made clear to the Bees that he wanted to leave amid interest from Chelsea.
The Blues are now set to land Henderson on a two-year contract as they look to add experience to Xabi Alonso’s squad.
On Henderson’s departure, Brentford’s director of football Phil Giles said: “Jordan signed for us last summer on a two-year deal.
“The plan we agreed at the time was for Jordan to add his experience to the team and help the club achieve a good Premier League finish. In return, the club committed to helping Jordan get into the England squad for the World Cup while remaining an elite Premier League midfielder. All of those targets were achieved.
“We also agreed that we would sit down after the World Cup and decide what the targets would be for both the club and Jordan in the second year of the contract.
“Following those conversations, it was clear that Jordan’s preference was to try something different in the final years of his playing career. We had always said to him that, should that be the case, we would not stand in his way.
“He therefore leaves after a very successful season, both personally and collectively, with the best wishes and gratitude of myself and everyone at Brentford."
