Chelsea will face competition from Manchester City and Brighton for the signing of Valentin Barco.
The Argentine is a promising option. At 170 centimeters, he’s not the most physically gifted player, but he has good footwork and speed for a South American. His main position is left-back, but he’s aggressive enough to play on the wing, and he has the skills that modern soccer demands from a full-back.
Boca Juniors Sacred Heart Youth. He made his senior debut in the 2021 season at the age of 17, and after showing promise, he was promoted to the first team in 2023. He currently has one goal in 26 games, including cup competitions, and was called up to the Argentina U-20 team last October.
This has attracted interest from several clubs. British outlet ’90min’ revealed that Man City and Brighton have been watching him for a long time and Chelsea are likely to push for his signature in the winter. According to the outlet, Boca Juniors want to offer Barco a new contract and remove his £8 million buyout clause in order to keep him at the club. Barco’s current contract with Boca Juniors runs until December 2024. At this point, 90min believes that it is more likely that Barco will leave than stay.
If he does head to Chelsea, the Blues are expected to actively pursue the sale of Ian Martens. Martens, who has played for the likes of Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven, moved to Chelsea in the 2018-19 season and spent time on loan. He broke into the Chelsea first team last season with Burnley, scoring four goals and providing six assists in 42 games, including cup competitions.
However, the competition is not easy. With Mark Cucurella coming into his own under Mauricio Pochettino, Matthijsselen’s place in the team has become even more limited. He has started six games in the league, but all of them have been substitute appearances and he has only played 83 minutes. 짱구카지노
Chelsea are keen to re-sign Martial. However, the player wants regular playing time and is considering an exit. “Martial could leave Chelsea as early as this winter,” according to British outlet Team Talk. Currently, he is attracting interest from Burnley, where he played last season.
Chelsea have triggered a one-year extension clause in his contract. However, this does not guarantee his stay. European soccer transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano said: “Chelsea have activated a clause that allows them to extend Martial’s contract until June 2025. Chelsea don’t want to let him leave as a free agent. They will talk to Martial about extending his contract in the coming months, otherwise they will consider selling him in 2024.”