Chelsea have strengthened their midfield with the signing of Valentin Barco from Strasbourg, with the Argentine international putting pen to paper on a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge.
The 21-year-old becomes Chelsea's sixth arrival of the summer transfer window, following the signings of Morgan Rogers, Danny Welbeck, Emmanuel Emegha, Maxence Lacroix and Marco Palestra.
Although the club did not reveal the transfer fee, Barco will immediately link up with the squad for the remainder of their pre-season tour ahead of Tuesday's clash against Juventus in Hong Kong.
Barco featured once for Argentina during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where his country finished runners-up after losing to Spain in the final.
He also made headlines after an altercation with England midfielder Jude Bellingham following Argentina's semi-final victory.
The midfielder came through the ranks at Boca Juniors before joining Brighton in 2024 for £7.9 million.
After spending a season on the south coast, he completed a move to Strasbourg following a successful loan spell with the French club.
Barco is the second player to move from Strasbourg to Chelsea during the current transfer window.
Both clubs are owned by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, making his transfer the latest in a growing number of deals between the sister clubs.
Since the beginning of last season, Barco's move is the 13th transfer completed between Chelsea and Strasbourg.
