Chelsea have completed the signing of Argentina international Valentin Barco from sister club Strasbourg on a contract running until 2033.
The 22-year-old joins after left-back Marc Cucurella moved to Real Madrid earlier this summer, leaving Jorrel Hato as the only senior recognised left-back in Xabi Alonso’s squad.
Barco has signed after establishing himself as a regular for Strasbourg during the 2025-26 campaign. He scored three goals and provided nine assists in 43 appearances in all competitions, having operated mainly in midfield rather than at left-back.
The move makes Barco Chelsea’s seventh signing of the summer. He follows Danny Welbeck, Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Geovany Quenda, Marco Palestra and striker Emmanuel Emegha in arriving at Stamford Bridge.
Emegha also moved from Strasbourg this summer as part of a deal agreed in advance. Barco is the 13th player to transfer between the two clubs during the three-year period since they came under the same ownership.
BlueCo, the consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, took control of Chelsea in 2022 before completing its takeover of Strasbourg in June 2023.
Barco began his career primarily as a left-back, but his versatility allowed Strasbourg to use him in a number of midfield positions. His form in France followed a loan spell with the club during the winter transfer window of the 2024-25 season. An obligation to buy worth €10m (£8.47m) was then completed last summer.
The Argentina international had previously made six Premier League appearances for Brighton & Hove Albion. In total, he played seven times for the English club before continuing his career with Strasbourg, where he made 58 appearances.
Barco came through the youth system at Boca Juniors and also spent time on loan with Sevilla in La Liga before moving permanently to Strasbourg.
The Athletic reported in July that Barco was expected to complete a move to Stamford Bridge. He had also been included in Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina squad for the World Cup this summer, making his only appearance as a substitute in a 19-minute cameo during the team’s final group-stage match against Jordan.
Although Barco remained on the bench for Argentina’s semi-final against England, he attracted attention during the match after appearing to provoke Jude Bellingham while celebrating by running across the pitch in front of his opponents. The Real Madrid midfielder responded by slapping Barco on the back of the head.
His arrival gives Chelsea another option on the left side of defence while also providing Alonso with a player capable of operating in midfield. The signing follows Cucurella’s departure and adds further depth to a squad that has been reshaped under the BlueCo ownership.
