Chelsea’s ownership group, BlueCo, have agreed a €20 million deal to sign Paraguayan attacking midfielder Julio Enciso from Brighton & Hove Albion. However, the 21-year-old is set to spend the 2025/26 season on loan at French Ligue 1 club Strasbourg, another BlueCo-owned team, before joining Chelsea’s first team in the following campaign.
The transfer, confirmed by well-known journalist Fabrizio Romano and football insider David Ornstein, marks Chelsea’s continued strategy of investing in young talent with long-term development plans. Enciso, who recently finished a loan spell at Ipswich Town, signing a six-year contract running to 2031 with an option for a further year.
Enciso had limited opportunities at Brighton and was loaned out to Ipswich in the second half of the last season, making 13 appearances and scoring twice. Chelsea’s management sees great potential in the Paraguayan international despite this, believing his versatile attacking abilities and technical skills could flourish under their system.
Loaning Enciso to Strasbourg aligns with BlueCo’s multi-club ownership model, using their sister club to provide competitive playing time and development in Ligue 1—a strategy previously used for other Chelsea prospects.
Fans of Chelsea are hopeful this move will add dynamism and flair to their attacking options in the near future. Meanwhile, Strasbourg is expected to benefit from the immediate addition of a promising young talent capable of impacting their domestic and European campaigns.
This transfer showcases Chelsea’s ambitious talent acquisition policy aimed at building a strong squad capable of mounting challenges in domestic and continental competitions for years to come.
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