Chelsea sell wonderkid to Strasbourg after ONE appearance - Romano

Tom Weber

Updated: 12 Aug 2024 10:28 CDT
2 min read

Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali, Chelsea, Strasbourg — © IMAGO

Strasbourg are set to sign Diego Moreira from Chelsea, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Article continues under the video

The Portuguese winger's time at Stamford Bridge did not go to plan and is now on the verge of coming to an unceremonious and potentially controversial end.

Moreira was signed from Benfica by Chelsea on a free transfer last summer, but Fabrizio Romano now reports that he is set to leave the club with just one senior Blues appearance under his belt.

BlueCo affiliate Strasbourg have completed a deal to sign the 20-year-old on a permanent transfer rather than a loan, with Moreira penning a five-year contract, according to Romano.

It is clear what Chelsea are doing here: by selling Moreira to Strasbourg - a fee has not yet been disclosed - they still keep control of the player while not having to use up one of their limited international loan slots.

Current ETV

Diego Moreira

null

Chelsea

Diego Moreira

null

Chelsea

ETV Range

€2.4M - €4M

Moreira leaves after nightmare spell

It is the kind of dodgy transfer that is set to stoke the fire of outrage in the Strasbourg fanbase, with supporters still frequently protesting against BlueCo's ownership even a year after the takeover.

The Alsatian club has become the plaything of Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali and is now being used as a testing ground for Chelsea youngsters. Caleb Wiley and Andrey Santos have already joined the Ligue 1 side on loan, while Angelo Gabriel was with the club last term.

Moreira is now the latest Chelsea youngster to rock up at the Stade de la Meinau, arriving after a horror 12 months at Chelsea. The Portuguese spent the first part of last season on loan at Lyon but was recalled after making just nine appearances.

However, due to having featured for Chelsea in a Carabao Cup game in September - his only senior appearance for them - he was not eligible to play for another club, which meant that he had to contend with a place in the club's youth system for the second half of the campaign.