According to sources, defender Valentin Barco of Brighton is expected to sign with Strasbourg, a French team. A year ago, the Seagulls paid $10 million (£7.8 million) to buy Barco from Boca Juniors. Several Premier League teams, notably Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea, had been keeping tabs on Barco while he was in Argentina. The 20-year-old was permitted to sign a loan deal with Sevilla in August after failing to make an impression in his first few months at Brighton.
Barco has once again had trouble finding playing time since relocating to Spain; so far this season, he has only started three La Liga games. Barco has reportedly agreed to join Strasbourg, which shares ownership of BlueCo with Chelsea, despite Sevilla’s attempts to bring him back to Brighton, according to Fabrizio Romano. An initial loan agreement for Barco is rumored to have been reached, with Strasbourg paying €10 million to finalize the Brighton transfer during the summer transfer window.
Valentín Barco Joins Racing Strasbourg
A Brighton-based Argentine left-back named Valentín Barco, who recently ended his loan at Sevilla, has officially joined Strasbourg. A 10 million euro loan with an obligatory buy option will be the form of the agreement. In the event that the player is sold in the future, the English club would also receive a percentage greater than 10%. In order to maintain their aspirations of making it to international events, Strasbourg is trying to bolster their club, which is currently in ninth place in Ligue 1 and only three points outside of the European zone.
Although Strasbourg’s team does not have any Argentine players, it does include two South Americans: Óscar Perea of Colombia and Andrey Santos of Brazil. Both Boca supporters and national team coach Lionel Scaloni have praised Barco’s quality and abilities, saying he has the ability to make a big impression at any club. Scaloni recently called Barco up for Argentina’s senior squad during their tour of the United States. Barco has had disappointing experiences at two clubs, though, and has failed to make a permanent impression in European football. Now in France, he hopes to demonstrate his skills and rekindle his potential.
