Strasbourg seal whopping €20m transfer as Chelsea's sister club snap up Argentine striker from Alaves

According to Estadio Deportivo, Strasbourg have reached an agreement with Alaves to sign their star striker, Panichelli, who had an impressive loan spell at Mirandes last year in Spain's second division. The French club will reportedly pay around €16.5 million (£14m/$19m) to secure the Argentine striker's services; however, this fee can increase up to €20m (£17m/$23m) if the striker able meets certain targets in his contract.

Panichelli joined Alaves in 2023 and played eight La Liga games for the Spanish club. His breakout season came last year on his loan spell at Mirandes in Spain's Segunda Division, where he scored 21 goals and registered eight assists, taking the team to the cusp of promotion playoffs. The 22-year-old was the second top-scorer of the league behind Almeria's Luis Suarez and was the club's top scorer during the 2024-25 campaign.

Several teams were on the lookout for Panichelli, with Villarreal being the closest to monitoring the striker with reports suggesting the club wanted to spend the money received from Thierno Barry's transfer to Everton to bring the Argentine to Estadio de la Ceramica. However, Strasbourg's aggressive bidding and their relentless pursuit by hiking their bid from initial fees of €15m (£13m/$17m) to later agreeing on €16.5m showed their determination and was attractive to Panichelli's camp, who were quick to agree on personal terms.

Liam Rosenior's side have had a busy transfer window. The French club qualified for the Conference League last season and have been bringing in reinforcements to secure their spot in the upcoming season. The Ligue 1 club has signed Pape Demba Diop, Maxi Oyedele, and loaned several players from sister club Chelsea like Mike Penders and Kendry Paez. Chelsea players Marc Guiu and Aaron Anselmino have been linked with temporary moves to the French team.