Chelsea have completed the signing of midfielder Valentin Barco from Strasbourg, with the Argentina international agreeing a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge.
The 21-year-old becomes Chelsea’s sixth signing of the summer following the arrivals of Morgan Rogers, Danny Welbeck, Emmanuel Emegha, Maxence Lacroix and Marco Palestra.
The Premier League club did not disclose the transfer fee.
Barco is expected to link up immediately with Chelsea’s squad on their pre-season tour of Asia. The Blues face Italian side Juventus in Hong Kong on August 5 as preparations continue for the 2026/27 season.
Barco earned his first World Cup appearance for Argentina at the 2026 tournament, where the South Americans finished runners-up to Spain.
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He featured once during the competition and was involved in a post-match incident after Argentina’s semi-final victory over England, when he was slapped by Jude Bellingham.
A product of Boca Juniors’ academy, Barco moved to Brighton in 2024 for a reported fee of £7.9 million.
His stay on England’s south coast lasted just one year before he joined French club Strasbourg following a successful loan spell.
His performances in Ligue 1 convinced Chelsea to make him their latest addition ahead of the new campaign.
Barco is the second player to move from Strasbourg to Chelsea during the current transfer window.
Both clubs are owned by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, and Barco’s arrival represents the 13th transfer between the two clubs since the start of last season.
