Same owner = easy transfer: Chelsea close to signing Strasbourg prospect

Nowadays, there are few "love stories" in football like the one between Chelsea and their affiliate club, Strasbourg.

And, as always in love, one side always ends up worse off. In this case, it's the French club, which practically depends on the Blues.

To sum up Strasbourg's situation - Chelsea gives, Chelsea takes.

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When the London side has a young prospect ready for a loan, it'll most likely send him to Stade de la Meinau. That's how a bunch of the Blues' players ended up in France, from Aaron Anselmino and Caleb Wiley, to Diego Moreira, Mike Penders, and Kendry Paez.

On the other hand, Chelsea can naturally take their loanee back whenever they want, as they did with Andrey Santos, Djordje Petrovic, and Mamadou Sarr.

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Yet, the loanees aren't the problem. It's Strasbourg players whom the Ligue 1 side is practically forced to sell to the Blues, all because of the two clubs' same owners, the BlueCo Group and its leader Todd Boehly.

That's how the Blues "stole" Strasbourg captain Emmanuel Emegha, who'll join them in a few months, and that's how they are about to take another exceptional talent, Valentin Barco.

According to the distinguished Argentinian journalist Gaston Edul, Chelsea are keen on the 21-year-old midfielder and, naturally, have the biggest chances to sign him.

Barco is a an Argentina international and a Boca Juniors child. After three years with their senior squad, he moved to Europe, to Brighton, where he didn't get a proper chance. He made only seven appearances for the Seagulls, spending most of his time on loans at Sevilla and Strasbourg.

Once they realized his potential, the French were determined to keep him permanently and splashed out €10 million on his transfer in July 2025.

Little did they know that only a year later, they could lose the Argentinian talent...

In the current season, Barco has been one of Strasbourg's key players, featuring in 38 games (31 as a starter) and recording 2 goals and 9 assists. He blossomed under the manager Liam Rosenior at Stade de la Meinau, and now the duo could reunite at Stamford Bridge.

So, in the end, Chelsea could greatly benefit from the cooperation with the French club, while Strasbourg... Does anyone even care how these departures affect them? It seems not.