Chelsea have sealed their second signing of the summer, though a far more impressive raid on Newcastle will put a bigger smile on the face of Xabi Alonso.
Alonso is the man Chelsea have chosen to lead the next phase of BlueCo’s project. The Spaniard officially starts work at Stamford Bridge on July 1, at which point he’ll be greeted by two new signings.
The arrival of striker Emmanuel Emegha from sister club Strasbourg had been agreed long before Alonso’s arrival.
And in the hours and days after Alonso’s appointment was announced, a second signing for the upcoming summer has been approved.
The Blues are set to sign Argentine left-back Valentin Barco, who has accrued two senior caps for his country so far.
Fabrizio Romano revealed Barco had said yes to joining Chelsea one month ago and personal terms were quickly thrashed out.
And over the past 24 hours amid speculation a switch to west London is coming, a report in Barco’s native Argentina has confirmed it’s a done deal.
Chelsea to sign Valentin Barco
Argentine journalist, German Garcia Grova, wrote on X: “Chelsea signs Valentín Barco.
“The club agreed with Racing [Strasbourg] for the 21-year-old Argentine left-back. Belonging to the same investment group, the negotiations were straightforward. Long-term deal.”
Grova has over 165,000 followers on X and works primarily for TyC Sports, which is reliable more often than not and especially so as far as Argentine stars are concerned.
As in the case with Emegha, Barco plays for Strasbourg who fall under the BlueCo umbrella. As such, a deal was easy to make.
Barco is 21 years of age and was previously on the books of Brighton where he made virtually no impact during his time in England.
As such, it’s debateable as to whether he’ll make an impression at Stamford Bridge, and that’s perhaps why it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn Chelsea are looking at Newcastle’s Lewis Hall too.
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Chelsea want Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall next
That’s according to Chelsea-focused reporter, Si Phillips, who claimed internal discussions over the move have already taken place.
Hall, also 21, was originally on Chelsea’s books before being loaned to Newcastle ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. The terms contained an obligation to buy worth £28m.
Hall has quickly developed into one of the Premier League’s leading left-backs, and the Blues want to rectify the mistake they made when letting him leave.
There is no buy-back clause that can simply be triggered, and Hall is contracted at St. James’ Park until 2029.
Accordingly, the Magpies won’t make it easy for the Blues, and any deal they do approve would come at an eye-watering price.
Newcastle are open to selling a big name or two this summer to fund a rebuild, though Anthony Gordon – who is bound for Bayern Munich – is the big name they’d much rather let go before all the others.
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