Chelsea sign Strasbourg midfielder Barco

Chelsea Football Club has completed the signing of Valentin Barco, a midfielder from Strasbourg, on a seven-year deal. The 21-year-old is the club's sixth addition this summer, following the arrivals of Morgan Rogers, Danny Welbeck, Emmanuel Emegha, Maxence Lacroix, and Marco Palestra. Barco will join the rest of the team during their pre-season tour, which includes a match against Italian side Juventus in Hong Kong on August 5th.

The young midfielder made his international debut for Argentina during the 2026 World Cup, where they finished as runners-up to Spain. Barco received a notable moment when he was slapped by Chelsea's young star Jude Bellingham after the semi-final victory over England. Barco started his professional career at Boca Juniors' academy before moving to Brighton for £7.9m in 2024, where he stayed for a year before joining Strasbourg the following season following a successful loan spell.

With both Chelsea and Strasbourg being owned by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, it marks the 13th transfer between the two clubs since the start of the previous season.