Wetin dey happen for Chelsea dis days? The matter no dey small o. For one side, dem dey close to sign one Argentine midfielder wey dey shine for Strasbourg. For another side, one of their star players dey cause wahala with transfer talk. Na real gbege dey for Stamford Bridge.
Valentin Barco, dat 21-year-old boy wey dey play for Strasbourg, don catch Chelsea eye well well. According to reports wey come from Argentina, Chelsea don almost finish the deal to bring am come London. The boy na Boca Juniors product wey Brighton buy for £7.8m for 2024 before e move go Strasbourg.
This season, Barco don show say e get talent. E don play 35 matches total, score one goal, assist ten times. E dey create chances like say na e papa business. E dey pass ball well well, average close to two key passes per game. Na dis kind performance make Chelsea decide say dem go pursue am seriously.
Augusto César, one Argentine journalist, yarn say Barco “go be Chelsea player” for June. Bayern Munich sef dey interested for the boy, but Chelsea don almost win the race. Although some sources still dey cautious – dem say agreement no final yet, but everything dey on track.
Why Chelsea fit get am easy? Na because of BlueCo ownership. Chelsea and Strasbourg na under the same owners. This one make transfer negotiations dey straightforward. Dem don dey move players between the two clubs before. Barco just dey follow the same pattern.
Liam Rosenior, Chelsea manager, sabi Barco well. Dem work together for Strasbourg before. Rosenior don dey push for this signing for months. Chelsea try for January but no work. Now dem don return with full force.
Meanwhile, another matter dey shake Chelsea camp. Enzo Fernandez, one of their best players, don cause wahala with him mouth. During international break, e talk say e “really like” to live for Madrid. E refuse to commit him future to Chelsea. This one make Rosenior vex.
The manager don ban Enzo for two matches – against Port Vale and Manchester City. Rosenior talk say “line was crossed” when Enzo refuse to rule out move to Real Madrid. But Paul Merson, former Arsenal player wey dey work for Sky Sports, think say more dey happen.
Merson yarn say: “I think Enzo don sit down with Rosenior tell am say e wan leave. I don see Cucurella meet with am too. But Enzo don enter tell am say e wan go. One thing wey manager must do na never chop your nose to spite your face. Make fans handle that situation. No be you.”
Enzo agent, Javier Pastore, don vex for the punishment. E talk say: “The ban no fair at all – to ban player for two matches wey dey crucial for Chelsea because Champions League qualification dey at stake. E na one of team most important players. E don prove say e na leader and key player this year. The punishment too harsh.”
Marc Cucurella sef talk say e go find am hard to reject Barcelona if dem call am. But Spain international no get any punishment for now. Na only Enzo dem punish.
For Strasbourg side, Chelsea don already agree deal to sign Emmanuel Emegha, striker wey don score 30 goals for 71 appearances. The 23-year-old go join Chelsea this summer.
Another interesting thing: Ben Chilwell, wey Chelsea send go Strasbourg, na the highest paid player for the French club. E dey collect €300,000 per month. E dey earn more than Ismael Doukouré and Emanuel Emegha wey dey collect €250,000 each.
Mathis Amougou, another Chelsea player wey dey Strasbourg, dey collect €200,000 per month but e don play only nine matches all season. E just dey waste for bench. Former Brighton player Julio Enciso dey collect same €200,000.
Barco self dey collect €120,000 per month for Strasbourg. But if e join Chelsea, him salary go likely increase. The boy dey push for place for Argentina World Cup squad. E just score him first goal for national team against Zambia for 5-0 friendly win.
As Chelsea dey pursue Barco, the Enzo wahala dey hang for air. Fans dey wait see how everything go end. The club need good results to qualify for Champions League, but internal matters dey distract. Rosenior hand full.
Transfer window dey come soon. Chelsea don show say dem dey plan for future with Barco signing. But current squad issues dey threaten present ambitions. Na which one go win? Time go tell.
For now, all eyes dey on Barco deal wey dey almost done. And on Enzo wey dey serve two-match ban. Chelsea season dey hang for balance. One wrong move fit scatter everything.
Do you have a news tip for NNN? Please email us at editor @ nnn.ng
