Chelsea finalizes Brighton star Enciso, unique signing model sparks heated discussion

On August 21, several media confirmed that Brighton midfielder Enciso had reached an agreement on the transfer. The 21-year-old Paraguay international will finally officially land at Stamford Bridge in 2026 through Strasbourg Club, owned by Chelsea's parent company BlueCo Group.

Encisso lost his main position under Brighton's new coach Hulzell last season and was loaned to Ipswich Town in the winter transfer window. During this period, he formed a forward partner with the current Chelsea new player Drapp and handed over a report card of 2 goals and 3 assists. The deal was accelerated as the player had only one last year left in the contract with the Seagulls.

According to authoritative media, BlueCo Group has reached a transfer agreement with Brighton with a total value of 20 million euros. Although the specific contract terms have not been made public, it is known that Enciso will join the Strasbourg Club in Ligue 1 first. BBC Sports and other media further revealed that players will be activated after playing in Strasbourg for a year and will be transferred to Chelsea.

It is worth noting that Chelsea has used up Strasbourg's loan quota this season, and has previously sent three new stars, Saar, Paez and Penders, to the team. Strasbourg also permanently introduced Smith and Amuku from Chelsea this summer, and is currently negotiating the transfer of young defender Antvi. All of these deals retained long-term control of the players' future.

This kind of operation of pre-arranged transfer paths is quite rare in football. It is reported that this is a special plan designed by BlueCo Group to attract players to join Strasbourg. Well-known reporters Romano and French "League" have previously reported that Strasbourg striker Emerga has also received a similar promise to join Chelsea in 2026 with Enciso.

However, this multi-club operation model has aroused strong dissatisfaction among some Strasbourg fans. The fan group is worried that the team will become an affiliated training base for Chelsea, and the deal by Enciso may further intensify the wave of protests at the Menaiu Stadium.