Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler has confirmed that discussions are taking place for attacker Julio Enciso to leave the club this summer.
The 21-year-old does not feature in Hurzeler’s plans going forward and spent the second half of last season on loan at Ipswich Town, where he made 13 appearances for a side that suffered relegation from the Premier League.
It is understood that Chelsea’s owners BlueCo have agreed a deal to sign Enciso from Brighton for a fee in the region of €20m (£17m), including add-ons, for a player who is out of contract next summer.
Enciso is expected to first join Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg - another club owned by BlueCo - and is said to have agreed personal terms over a long-term deal until the summer of 2031, but he is viewed as a long-term Chelsea player.
The Paraguay international is currently sidelined with a knee injury which required surgery, but that should not prevent BlueCo finalising a deal before the September 1 deadline, with a medical scheduled on Thursday.
Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler on August 2, 2025
Enciso has “big potential” but ‘struggled’ at Brighton, says Hurzeler
Hurzeler was asked about the future of Enciso at a press conference on Thursday ahead of Brighton’s Premier League trip to Everton on Sunday and he confirmed that there is “big interest” in the versatile attacker.
“There are some rumours, there are some talks, but nothing is done yet so we can’t comment on that,” Hurzeler told reporters.
“I wouldn’t say it didn’t work. Some players perform better in some environments. Some players struggle with some cultural things.
“But overall, I wouldn’t say it was a bad time if he were to leave. He is still a very young player with big potential.
“If big clubs are interested in him, I would say he didn’t play well or have a good time here in Brighton.
“You can see there is a big interest in him because he has big potential, because he showed great stuff for us.
“Overall there are some things that for sure could be better regarding the environment, regarding the culture things, but I think it wasn’t a bad period so far.”
Julio Enciso of Ipswich Town celebrates on April 2, 2025
Chelsea’s bond with Strasbourg grows stronger with Enciso capture
Enciso is set to leave Brighton after three years at the Amex Stadium where he has made a total of 57 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals including a stunning strike against Manchester City that was named 2022-23 Premier League Goal of the Season and was nominated for the Puskas Award.
The youngster is set to become the latest player to link up with Strasbourg for the 2025-26 season and continue his development in France ahead of a planned future move to Chelsea.
Kendry Paez, Mamadou Sarr and Mike Penders are three players who have already joined Strasbourg loan from Chelsea this summer, while Mathis Amougou and Ishe Samuels-Smith have both completed permanent moves to Liam Rosenior’s side.
After finishing seventh in Ligue 1 last season, Strasbourg have qualified for the League Phase of the 2025-26 Conference League and have been tipped to push for at least a top-six finish in the French top flight this term following a productive summer transfer window.
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