Strasbourg set for hectic window thanks to Chelsea war chest

Tom Weber

• Updated: 31 Dec 2023 11:23 GMT
• 3 min read

RC Strasbourg appear to have snapped up their first wonderkid of what promises to be a hectic transfer window thanks to the funds provided by Chelsea's owner.

Todd Boehly's BlueCo acquired Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg in the summer and - despite fan protests - had an immediate impact as the Alsatian side smashed their transfer record twice in the same window with the signings of Abakar Sylla and Emanuel Emegha. The January transfer window is set to be just as big for the French club.

Though head coach Patrick Vieira was somewhat down about the fact that there is a break in play until January 6 given that his side had been in great form after a poor start to the season, winning their final three games of 2023, the Premier League legend will likely be in good spirits come the end of the month.

According to L'Equipe, the January window will be a hectic one and a wonderkid has already been snapped up.

Strasbourg eye Barco and Lukovic

The French outlet reported earlier in the week that Strasbourg had beaten competition from high-flying Lille and Spartak Moscow to the signature of Serbian starlet Milos Lukovic. The IMT Belgrade striker has notched 10 goals in 19 first-division games this season - and he's only 18.

Strasbourg will reportedly pay €5 million for the youngster. This is the first of several deals. Last week, the Evening Standard reported that the Alsatians have been given a transfer war chest of as much as €25m by Todd Boehly and that they were looking to beat Man City to the signature of Argentine talent Valentin Barco, who has also been linked with Chelsea.

More recently, there surfaced claims in Germany that Chelsea were plotting to loan Claudio Echeverri to Strasbourg should they beat City to his signature. However, at this stage, the River Plate wonderkid looks to be heading to the Etihad.