Chelsea have officially strengthened their squad with Valentín Barco. The Argentine arrives from RC Strasbourg, who, like the London giants, are owned by BlueCo and owner Todd Boehly. Barco has signed until mid-2033 at Stamford Bridge.
Still only 22, Barco started out in his native Argentina with Boca Juniors, where he made his professional debut at the age of 16. He moved to Brighton & Hove Albion in 2024 for just under €10 million.
Brighton felt Barco was not yet ready for the Premier League and sent him out on loan to Sevilla and then Strasbourg. The French club signed him permanently in 2025 for €10 million.
A central midfielder who can also play on the left, he enjoyed a strong season in France and produced nine assists as well as three goals.
Chelsea have been convinced and are paying a fee of almost €40 million to Strasbourg, who earlier this summer also saw captain Emmanuel Emegha join The Blues for €25 million.
Barco can now also call himself a five-cap Argentina international. The left-footer was included this summer in the World Cup squad of head coach Lionel Scaloni, although he only got minutes in the final group match against Jordan (19).
With Barco included, Chelsea have already spent almost €400 million on new players this summer. The biggest slice went on Morgan Rogers (€138 million), while Maxence Lacroix (€61 million), Marco Palestra (€57 million) and Geovany Quenda (€50 million) also came at a hefty price.