Chelsea are set to complete a deal to sign highly rated Argentine midfielder Valentin Barco from Strasbourg, as per ESPN Argentina‘s journalist Augusto Cesar.
Barco first rose to prominence in Argentina, where his performances in Boca Juniors’ youth setup earned him a promotion to the senior squad under Miguel Ángel Russo.
Initially breaking through as an adventurous left-back, he was later pushed further forward into an attacking midfield role. This versatility has proven valuable during his time at Strasbourg, where he now operates mainly as a central midfielder.
The 21-year-old got his first taste of European football after joining Brighton & Hove Albion in January 2024, making his debut in a 4-0 loss to Manchester City in April.
A short-lived loan spell at Sevilla followed, during which he made just nine appearances, before BlueCo’s sister club Strasbourg brought him in January 2025. Since then, he has grown into a key figure, particularly this season, contributing 11 goals and assists combined and also marking his most recent international call-up with a goal for Argentina against Zambia.
Last month, Guillem Balagué, in a report via Football Talk, revealed that Barco is ‘very close’ to joining Chelsea.
It appears the deal is now on the verge of completion, as ESPN Argentina journalist Augusto Cesar reports in a new update that the 21-year-old is set to become a new Chelsea player.
Barco set to join Chelsea
Cesar adds that the versatile Argentine was on Bayern Munich’s radar, but the Blues ‘pushed hard’ over the international break to finalize everything for his transfer to Stamford Bridge in the summer.
Chelsea under Enzo Maresca deployed inverted fullbacks, with Marc Cucurella and Malo Gusto constantly alternating between different roles, even in attacking midfield.
During Liam Rosenior’s spell at Strasbourg, the current Blues boss deployed the same approach, constantly inverting Barco into midfield, where he excelled and eventually took over the role.
As such, the Argentina international is already familiar with the club’s style of play and is expected to make an immediate impact once the deal is officially confirmed.
Chelsea hold a slight advantage on transfer fee terms, as Strasbourg are unlikely to demand a fee significantly higher than his £30m Transfermarkt valuation from their sister club.
