Chelsea sign Strasbourg midfielder Valentín Barco

Chelsea have signed midfielder Valentín Barco from RC Strasbourg Alsace, the club announced.

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.

Chelsea did not disclose the transfer fee.

Barco will join the rest of the squad on the club’s pre-season tour, with the Blues due to face Italian champions Juventus FC in Hong Kong on 5 August.

The Argentina international made one appearance at the 2026 World Cup, where his country finished runners-up to Spain. He was involved in a post-match incident after Argentina’s semi-final victory over England, when he was slapped by Jude Bellingham.

A graduate of Boca Juniors’ academy, Barco joined Brighton & Hove Albion FC in 2024 for a reported £7.9m.

After spending a year on the south coast, he moved to Strasbourg following a successful loan spell.

Barco is the second player to join Chelsea from Strasbourg this summer. The two clubs, both owned by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, have completed 13 transfer deals since the start of last season.