Brighton and Hove Albion are reportedly close to completing their first January signing.
According to South American journalist César Luis Merlo, the Seagulls have activated a release clause and are set to pay Boca Juniors around £8 million for their talented young left back Valentn Barco.
The 19-year-old is one of South America’s rising stars, with a number of Premier League clubs interested in him, including Manchester City and Chelsea.
Brighton have a strong track record of bringing in some of the best young players in South America. Alexis MacAllister, Moises Caicedo, Julio Enciso, and Facundo Buonanotte have all arrived for relatively low fees and gone on to become Premier League players, with MacAllister and Caicedo being sold for huge profits to Liverpool and Chelsea, respectively.
The January arrival of left back Barco could be crucial for Brighton, as the Seagulls are short of cover in that position, with Pervis Estupinan working his way back to fitness and full backs Tariq Lamptey, Joel Veltman, and Solly March all injured.
“Brighton made a formal offer for #Boca defender Valentn Barco,” Merlo wrote. The offer is for the termination clause.
They leave you 10% of the pass for a total of US$10,000,000. “Colo”‘s contract expires at the end of the year, and there is currently no agreement for his renewal.”