Chelsea are ‘very close’ to signing Strasbourg’s versatile midfielder Valentin Barco, according to Guillem Balagué.
Barco came into the limelight in his home country, Argentina, where his displays for Boca Juniors’ youth ranks earned him a place in the first-team squad under Miguel Ángel Russo.
He made his Boca debut in 2021 at the age of 16 against Union, becoming the fourth-youngest player in the club’s history.
He broke into the team as a marauding left-back. Still, he was eventually moved to the attacking midfield position, with those versatile traits proving useful during his current spell at Strasbourg, where he plays as a central midfielder.
The 21-year-old’s first European sojourn saw him move to Sussex to join Brighton & Hove Albion in January 2024, debuting in the 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in April, and he was described by Roberto De Zerbi as ‘the best player on the pitch’ for the Seagulls after the game.
After an unsuccessful loan spell with Sevilla, where he featured only nine times, BlueCo’s sister club Strasbourg secured a deal for the Argentine in January 2025, and he has since become a key player for the club, especially this season, where he has provided 10 goal contributions.
Earlier this week, Guillem Balagué reported that Chelsea have been closely monitoring Barco’s progress, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he joined the club on a long-term deal.
He added that former coach Enzo Maresca had him in mind, while newly appointed manager Liam Rosenior, who worked with him at Strasbourg, has given the club the go-ahead to sign him.
Barco to Chelsea
It appears Chelsea are now looking to wrap up a deal for Barco, as the Spanish journalist, in a recent report, claims that the Argentine international is ‘very close’ to joining the London giants.
Chelsea are fully capitalising on the advantages of their BlueCo multi-club structure, having already completed several transfers involving their sister club Strasbourg.
Mamadou Sarr is already part of the first team squad, having been recalled from his loan spell with the Alsatian outfit, while the Blues have a pre-agreed deal for Emanuel Emegha to join at the end of the season.
Mike Penders, David Datro Fofana and Aaron Anselmino completed loan moves to the French club, while Ben Chilwell and Mathis Amogou joined on permanent deals.
This could hand the Blues a slight advantage in the transfer fee, as Strasbourg are unlikely to demand a fee significantly higher than his £21m Transfermarkt valuation.
