Chelsea have completed the signing of Strasbourg midfielder Valentin Barco on a seven-year deal. The 21-year-old Argentine becomes the Blues' sixth summer acquisition.
Barco joins Morgan Rogers, Danny Welbeck, Emmanuel Emegha, Maxence Lacroix, and Marco Palestra as new arrivals at Stamford Bridge this summer. The midfielder is set to link up with the squad for the remainder of Chelsea's pre-season tour, which includes a match against Juventus in Hong Kong on 5 August.
Barco, a product of Boca Juniors' academy, joined Brighton in 2024 for £7.9m. After a year on the south coast, he moved to Strasbourg following a successful loan spell. He appeared once for Argentina at the 2026 World Cup, where they finished as runners-up.
This transfer marks the second player to join Chelsea from Strasbourg this summer, with both clubs under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. It is also the 13th deal between the two clubs since the start of last season.