Chelsea gift Strasbourg Bohely transfer war chest to sign Man City target

Robin Bairner

• 23 Dec 2023 19:50 GMT
• 2 min read

Chelsea owners BlueCo are set to keep transfer target Valentin Barco away from Premier League rivals Manchester City by supplying Strasbourg with the funds required to sign the Boca Juniors teenager during the January window.

Strasbourg are a sister club of Chelsea as both are owned by the same investment group and the latest benefit of this is set to be the arrival of the 19-year-old.

According to the Evening Standard, Racing have been handed around €25 million to invest in Patrick Vieira’s squad this season, with the intention of acting as a breeding ground to send players to Chelsea if they are successful in France.

Already the Ligue 1 outfit have taken Angelo on loan from the Blues, but after a promising start, the young Brazilian has found the going difficult.

Unperturbed, BlueCo are prepared to invest significantly in Barco, who has an Expected Transfer Value of €2.7 million, for Strasbourg.

Capturing the young Argentine would be particularly important for BlueCo given that the young left-sided player is also wanted by Premier League rivals Man City and Brighton.

Given the track record of these clubs in signing and improving young players from South America, Chelsea will not want to miss out.

And this deal is being conducted very much with the Stamford Bridge club in mind.

Barco has been watched by Alysson Marins, Chelsea’s chief scout in South America, who has given the OK for the deal, while it is stated that Blues’ co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart also have some influence in Strasbourg to ensure there is joined-up thinking with the Premier League outfit.

Strasbourg, meanwhile, have the capacity to sign more extravagantly than Chelsea because they have more leeway with regards Financial Fair Play.

Even this high-profile addition is unlikely to placate fans of Racing, who have persistently protested at the new ownership of the club, angry that their side has lost its identity.