Bought this summer by BlueCo, which also owns Chelsea, Strasbourg now has what it takes to strengthen itself on the transfer market. And the Alsatian club could still play its role as a satellite club during the winter transfer window.
On June 22, after several months of negotiations, the announcement finally came. After buying Chelsea , Todd Boehly got his hands on Strasbourg thanks to his BlueCo group, a consortium of American investors supported by the Clearlake fund. The businessman wanted, a bit like the City Group with Manchester City, Girona and Troyes, to have several clubs to be able to accelerate the development of the Blues. This satellite club practice had even been validated by UEFA, which announced that it would not prohibit multiple ownership. The perfect opportunity to get your hands on Strasbourg.
Very quickly after the takeover of the club, rumors abounded on the transfer market. Because Todd Boehly, who had spent more than a billion euros for Chelsea, had a clear idea in mind. Recruit young players for the Blues and immediately loan them to Patrick Vieira's current club. In this sense, the former Nice coach had picked up Angelo Gabriel on loan. The latter was bought for 15 million from Santos. Blue&Co had also offered a recruit for 22 million to Strasbourg. Abakar Sylla left Bruges for Ligue 1 with the aim of ending up at Chelsea if things went well in France. Same story for Bakwa and Mwanga, bought for 20 million in Bordeaux.
Chelsea wants to circumvent financial fair play
If Strasbourg was able to spend heavily in the summer transfer window, the results have not yet been there while Vieira has struggled to create group cohesion. But whatever, the objective of the Blue&Co group is to have as many players as possible. In this sense, the English press and in particular Evening Standard , announces that Strasbourg will have a budget of 25 million euros to recruit this winter. The main track is called Valentin Barco , Argentinian left side of Boca Juniors. He could leave this winter and is estimated at 18 million euros.
The 19-year-old has caught the eye of Chelsea's chief scout in South America, Alysson Marins. The Blue&Co group wishes to send all players under the age of 23 to Strasbourg to allow them to develop before moving to the Premier League. The English media also specifies that the Blues are using Strasbourg to circumvent financial fair play. By sending the young Argentine talent to Strasbourg for the moment, Chelsea are avoiding a new expense when they especially have to sell this winter. The Strasbourg residents could therefore steal Valentin Barco especially since Brighton and Manchester City are on the case. Especially since the idea of playing regularly in France before establishing himself in England appeals to the young talent of 19 years old…