Chelsea in talks to sign ex-Premier League midfielder as Liam Rosenior closes in on reunion

Chelsea are in talks to sign Valentin Barco from sister club Strasbourg, talkSPORT understands.

The Argentine initially joined Strasbourg on loan from Brighton in February 2025, before completing a move worth £8million in July.

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Barco made seven appearances for the Seagulls ahead of his move to France, where he worked under boss Liam Rosenior.

He featured 38 times for the current Chelsea boss, and the pair could be reunited this summer should a deal be completed.

The midfielder could face plenty of competition at Stamford Bridge.

Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia, Andrey Santos and Darrio Essugo have been their midfield options this season.

However, Barco could have one less competitor amid the uncertainty over Fernandez and his future in west London.

Barco in, Fernandez out?

After Chelsea were thrashed 8-2 on aggregate by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, Fernandez criticised the club’s board.

He said he didn’t understand their decision to allow head coach Enzo Maresca to leave the club at the beginning of the year.

Fernandez then generated speculation over a move to Real Madrid as he admitted he would like to live in the Spanish capital.

talkSPORT understands he is open to a move to Madrid this summer, although he has not directly told Chelsea that he wants to leave.

Rosenior then announced on Friday that they have sanctioned the World Cup winner following his comments.

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Fernandez was told he would not play in their FA Cup quarter-final clash against Port Vale, which finished 7-0 to Chelsea.

He will also not be involved in their Premier League fixture away at Manchester City on April 12.

“I spoke with Enzo an hour ago,” Rosenior said in his press conference.

“As a football club, with me as part of that process, we’ve made a decision. He won’t be available for tomorrow’s games, and he won’t be available for Manchester City next Sunday.

“I think for Enzo, It’s disappointing to speak in that way. What I will say about Enzo is, in terms of him as a character, as a person, I’ve got no bad words to say about him.

“But I think a line was crossed, in terms of our culture and what we want to build. So, we had to make a sanction, and that was a decision we’ve made.”

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Chelsea respond to the noise in style

After four consecutive defeats and a dramatic international break, Chelsea got back to winning ways in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Port Vale, who sit rock-bottom of League One, had their hopes of an upset crushed inside two minutes when Jorrel Hato thumped in.

Joao Pedro added a composed second, before a Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel own-goal had Chelsea all but through by half-time.

Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos and Estevao continued the scoring in the second half as the EFL visitors were swept aside.

Alejandro Garnacho scored the seventh and final goal for Chelsea in stoppage time with a penalty.

Chelsea will discover their semi-final opponents during the draw on Sunday evening, with the match coming on April 25 or 26.