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Chelsea Transfer News: Blues agree deal to sign Valentin Barco - Fabrizio Romano

Updated: 22 May 2026 20:47 BST | 5 min read

Valentin Barco, Chelsea

Tom Weber

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Strasbourg midfielder Valentin Barco, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed.

The Italian transfer insider has announced one of football's worst-kept secrets: Argentina international Barco is on his way to Chelsea after announcing his departure from BlueCo sister club Strasbourg earlier this week.

The 21-year-old is coming off an impressive season. Barco was converted from a left-back into a midfielder by previous Racing boss Liam Rosenior, who then tried to bring him to Chelsea.

Rosenior was sacked in April, but his former protégé will nevertheless end up at Stamford Bridge. According to Romano, an undisclosed deal is now in place between Barco, Chelsea and Strasbourg for the midfielder to move to West London.

The Italian states that the transfer will be formalised next month. In the meantime, Barco is waiting to find out whether he will be part of Argentina's World Cup squad, which has yet to be announced.

Strasbourg face exodus

As alluded to above, Barco already announced his departure from Strasbourg earlier this week. It was an open secret that he would be on his way to Stamford Bridge.

"Today I say goodbye to this club that I really looked forward to. In this year and a half many good times passed, including the best of our lives on 03/28/2025 when Gemma was born," he wrote on social media.

Valentin Barco

"I always left everything on the field at every game for this shirt. I want to thank my teammates who made everything easier for me, Liam [Rosenior] and his staff for the confidence they gave me and for making me the player I am, Gary [O’Neil] and his staff for understanding me and helping me improve, to everyone who works at the club and us they accompany and support me every day and to the fans for the love they always gave me."

"From a distance I will support them and make strength for them to always win. I am totally grateful to Strasbourg and we will be back with my family whenever we can. It is a very special place in our lives. Thank you very much for this year and a half, and many successes for the future. Thank you, Strasbourg."

Barco will link up with Strasbourg captain Emmanuel Emegha at Chelsea. The Netherlands international's move to Stamford Bridge was already announced last year, mere weeks after he was handed the captaincy, which sparked outrage among the Racing fans.

The Chelsea-bound pair are not the only key players set to depart the Alsatians this summer. L'Equipe reports that more stars are keen to leave after Strasbourg finished outside of the European places in Ligue 1 due to a disappointing run of form at the end of the season.

Former Chelsea winger/full-back Diego Moreira is believed to be keen to take the next step in his career, as is Guela Doue, the older brother of PSG superstar Desire. Defender Ismael Doukoure, who has been flirting with a transfer for years, is also expected to leave.

Like Chelsea, Strasbourg are thought to be keen to switch up their transfer strategy slightly. Instead of only signing young players, Gary O'Neil wants more physicality and experience.

Whether O'Neil will even still be there next season after Strasbourg's recent slump has been the subject of debate, however. Recent reports have suggested that former Chelsea star Filipe Luis is back on the club's radar, having been sacked by Flamengo after a successful spell earlier this year.

Luis was approached by BlueCo over the winter when it became increasingly likely that Enzo Maresca would be leaving Chelsea. The Brazilian engaged in discussions, thinking he was in line for the Blues job.

When it became evident that he was earmarked to replace Rosenior at Strasbourg, he decided to sign a new contract with Flamengo. However, the relationship with the Brazilian giants fractured when the club's president got wind of Luis' talks with BlueCo and his apparent willingness to join Chelsea.