Chelsea signs Argentine international Barco for seven years

Chelsea confirmed another major signing on Saturday. Argentine international Valentín Barco has signed a seven-year contract with the London club, arriving from sister club Strasbourg, according to Guardian Sport.

The 22-year-old is a versatile player who can cover several positions. Although his primary role is left-back, Barco is also comfortable in midfield. He joins Chelsea as the seventh signing of the new manager Xabi Alonso's era, who is rapidly building his squad for the upcoming season.

From Brighton to the World Cup final

Barco first arrived in the Premier League with Brighton, for whom he made seven appearances in the 2023-24 season, six of them in the league. In 2024, he went on loan to Strasbourg, and a year later signed a permanent deal with the French club, with whom he secured qualification for the Conference League. In total, he played 53 matches for Strasbourg.

His biggest career achievement so far came with the Argentine national team, with whom he played in the World Cup final. He earned his fifth cap for the "Gauchos" in the group stage, in a 3-1 win against Jordan. He particularly came into the spotlight after the 2-1 semi-final victory over England, when he had a heated exchange of words with Jude Bellingham.

Continuation of Chelsea's busy spending spree

The signing of Barco is just the latest in an extremely active summer at Stamford Bridge. On Saturday, the club also confirmed the arrival of experienced striker Danny Welbeck from Brighton. Before them, Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace, Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, and Marco Palestra, Emmanuel Emegha, and Geovany Quenda had already joined Alonso's ranks.

Barco is expected to join his new teammates soon on the tour of Australia and Hong Kong, where Alonso will have the opportunity to further integrate his almost completely reshaped squad.