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Chelsea<\/a> are set to complete a deal to sign highly rated Argentine midfielder Valentin Barco from Strasbourg, as per ESPN Argentina<\/em>\u2018s journalist Augusto Cesar<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Barco first rose to prominence in Argentina, where his performances in Boca Juniors\u2019 youth setup earned him a promotion to the senior squad under Miguel \u00c1ngel Russo.<\/p>\n Initially breaking through as an adventurous left-back, he was later pushed further forward into an attacking midfield role. This versatility has proven valuable during his time at Strasbourg, where he now operates mainly as a central midfielder.<\/p>\n The 21-year-old got his first taste of European football after joining Brighton & Hove Albion in January 2024, making his debut in a 4-0 loss to Manchester City<\/a> in April.<\/p>\n A short-lived loan spell at Sevilla followed, during which he made just nine appearances, before BlueCo\u2019s sister club Strasbourg brought him in January 2025. Since then, he has grown into a key figure, particularly this season, contributing 11 goals and assists combined and also marking his most recent international call-up with a goal for Argentina against Zambia.<\/p>\n Last month,\u00a0Guillem Balagu\u00e9,<\/em> in a report via Football Talk<\/a>, revealed that Barco is \u2018very close\u2019 to joining Chelsea<\/a>.<\/p>\n It appears the deal is now on the verge of completion, as ESPN Argentina<\/em> journalist Augusto Cesar reports in a new update that the 21-year-old is set to become a new Chelsea player.<\/p>\n Cesar adds that the versatile Argentine was on Bayern Munich\u2019s radar, but the Blues \u2018pushed hard\u2019 over the international break to finalize everything for his transfer<\/a> to Stamford Bridge in the summer.<\/p>\n Chelsea under Enzo Maresca deployed inverted fullbacks, with Marc Cucurella and Malo Gusto constantly alternating between different roles, even in attacking midfield.<\/p>\n During Liam Rosenior\u2019s spell at Strasbourg, the current Blues boss deployed the same approach, constantly inverting Barco into midfield, where he excelled and eventually took over the role.<\/p>\n As such, the Argentina international is already familiar with the club\u2019s style of play and is expected to make an immediate impact once the deal is officially confirmed.<\/p>\n Chelsea hold a slight advantage on transfer fee terms, as Strasbourg are unlikely to demand a fee significantly higher than his \u00a330m Transfermarkt<\/a> valuation from their sister club.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Rememore](\"https:\/\/football-talk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/FootballTalk_New_Chapter-rememore.png\")
<\/a><\/div>\nBarco set to join Chelsea<\/h2>\n
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