On January 8th, Chelsea appointed Liam Rosenior as their new manager, just days after parting ways with Enzo Maresca. He arrived at Stamford Bridge after a short spell at RC Strasbourg.
Later that day, we covered claims from Argentina that Rosenior has requested Chelsea to sign Valentín Barco. He knows the 21-year-old well from his time at the Ligue 1 side and wanted to reunite with him at Chelsea in January.
The Blues weren’t able to sign him but haven’t forgotten about the Argentine. That’s at least what Bolavip are reporting.
Barco can operate as a left-back and in the middle of the pitch. The current Chelsea boss had utilised him as a midfielder at the French club. He has so far managed a goal and nine assists from 27 matches in all competitions this season.
Brighton & Hove Albion brought him to Europe by signing him from Boca Juniors in 2024. He struggled at The Amex and failed to impress during his loan spell at Sevilla. Barco only started to adapt well to European football at Strasbourg, and this hasn’t gone unnoticed.
According to Bolavip, Chelsea want to sign, mainly him to please their manager. Rosenior has asked for the South American’s signing. In addition to the Club World Cup winners, the report adds another unnamed club are keen.
Chelsea seem to be ‘going all out’ to try and beat the competition for his signature. Their owners, BlueCo, also own Strasbourg, and that should give them a clear edge in bringing the versatile player back to the Premier League.
Barco’s focus would be impressing on the pitch to improve his chances of making it to the World Cup. He made his debut for Argentina in March 2024 and hasn’t played for the national team since then.
The former Seagulls man’s contract expires in 2030, and Transfermarkt values him at €25m.