Chelsea have signed the Argentina international Valentín Barco from their sister club Strasbourg on a seven-year deal. The 22-year-old has penned a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge and becomes the club's ninth arrival of the transfer window.
Barco, 22, who can play in midfield and at left-back, joins the Blues from their sister club Strasbourg. Barco is the Blues' seventh signing of the summer, with Danny Welbeck, Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Geovany Quenda, Marco Palestra and former Strasbourg striker Emmanuel Emegha all also joining the club. He has similarly become the 13th player to move between the French side and Chelsea since BlueCo took over Strasbourg in 2023, a year after they purchased the Premier League side.
The Argentine hit the headlines last month when he clashed with Jude Bellingham after England's semi-final defeat at the World Cup. Barco made just one substitute appearance at the tournament, but he infuriated the Three Lions after he sprinted across the pitch when Enzo Fernandez equalised late on in the clash. He ran right in front of several England players and appeared to taunt them, before John Stones reacted by giving him a shove. In response to his antics, Bellingham gave the 22-year-old a slap on the back of the head after the full-time whistle as Argentina's players celebrated, causing a scuffle on the pitch. The pair exchanged words before teammates from both sides stepped in to prevent the confrontation from escalating further.
Barco started this by bounding across the pitch and through a number of dejected English players after Fernandez’s effort flew past Jordan Pickford, with the substitute having no acceptable reason for being so far on the field of play. Barco later also came onto the pitch in the aftermath of Lautaro Martinez's winning goal.