Chelsea transfer news: Liam Rosenior targets Strasbourg midfield star as first summer recruit

Chelsea‘s acquisition of Strasbourg as a feeder club has been a masterstroke in theory,  though the French side's players have so far struggled to make their mark at Stamford Bridge.

Admittedly, there are not many who have made the step up yet. Andrey Santos has made the most progress of any of them, earning fairly regular minutes, though he would still be classified as a squad player rather than a starter. Defender Sarr has also had his chances and is currently seeing limited playing time despite being managed by Liam Rosenior, his former coach at Strasbourg and arguably the most prominent product of the Blues' partnership with the French club. Rosenior replaced Enzo Maresca on the strength of impressive results at the feeder club.

Chelsea's Strasbourg pipeline set to accelerate

The pipeline between the two clubs is set to move up a gear this summer. Dutch striker Emegha is due to join Chelsea, though the Blues signed him last summer expecting him to contribute more than four goals in just eight appearances, whether he will get much of a look-in remains to be seen.

Goalkeeper Penders is also set to return from his loan spell, while Moreira — who has established himself as one of the best wing-backs in Europe for his age group — has also been mentioned. There is, however, another player who has reportedly already given Chelsea the green light and is keen to make the move.

Valentin Barco has reinvented himself under Liam Rosenior

That player is young Argentine Valentin Barco, who joined Strasbourg from Brighton with a future Chelsea transfer clearly in mind. He had been spoken about as a major talent at Boca Juniors, and while he failed to establish himself at Brighton or Sevilla, a move to Strasbourg would normally have been seen as a step backwards.

In the context of Chelsea's ownership model, however, it made perfect sense. Rosenior converted him from a left-back into a central midfielder, and in that role, he has become one of the standout performers in Ligue 1.

He has contributed one goal and four assists, but his true strengths lie elsewhere: an enormous range of action, a tenacious ball-winner who can carry possession out of tight situations through clever dribbling and distribute with composure. With formalities now all that stand between Barco and the move, the transfer looks set to be completed very soon.