Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Strasbourg midfielder Valentin Barco, according to a report.
The Argentina international is enjoying a brilliant season in France, which recently saw him rewarded with his first appearance for Argentina since his debut in March 2024. Barco played over half an hour and scored the final goal in a 5-0 demolition of Zambia.
Links with Chelsea are, of course, nothing new, given the relationship between the Blues and Strasbourg. Both are owned by BlueCo and have traded numerous players since 2023.
Indeed, Barco was one of the first players to be associated with a move to Stamford Bridge after Liam Rosenior swapped Alsace for West London in January. The 21-year-old really blossomed under the Englishman.
Rosenior converted Barco from a left-back into a full-time midfielder, and this change has paid handsome dividends. The youngster has contributed nine assists and a couple of goals this term.
Chelsea “agree” Barco deal
Since Rosenior’s Chelsea appointment, it has been claimed numerous times that Barco is set to make his return to the Premier League this summer after previously failing to impress at Brighton.
The latest such assertion is now being made by journalist Augusto Cesar, who claims that an “agreement” has been reached between Chelsea and Strasbourg for the transfer of Barco.
Cesar states that Chelsea have “pushed hard” following the conclusion of the international break to set up a deal for June. The Blues wanted to act quickly because Bayern Munich have also been courting Barco.
Be that as it may, reaching a club-to-club agreement is surely the least of Chelsea’s concerns, given that they are effectively negotiating with themselves.
A bigger issue could be European qualification. If Chelsea and Strasbourg qualify for the same competition, BlueCo could be forced to put the latter into a blind trust, preventing the two clubs from doing business.
Strasbourg are currently outside of the European places in France, but there is still a chance that they get in. If both clubs were to qualify for, say, the Europa League, it could create a major problem.
Chelsea have already signed Emmanuel Emegha from Strasbourg for the summer, but committing to more deals with Racing before the season is over would be a gamble.
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