BlueCo’s move for Brighton’s Julio Enciso is in danger of collapse.
Enciso was due to join Strasbourg initially before transferring to Chelsea.
The 21-year-old Paraguayan midfielder had been lined up for a £13.8million switch as part of BlueCo’s multi-club model, with Strasbourg earmarked as his first destination before eventually moving on to Stamford Bridge.
But the deal may now be in doubt amid reports Enciso has failed a medical, although neither Brighton nor Chelsea have commented publicly on the speculation.
Enciso joined Brighton from Libertad in 2022 and has shown flashes of talent in 57 first-team appearances, scoring five goals and adding six assists.
Yet his time at the Amex has been repeatedly interrupted by fitness issues. A torn meniscus in August 2023 ruled him out for six months and further knee trouble required surgery in May, which is expected to keep him sidelined for several more weeks.
The prospect of another setback may have left BlueCo wary, with talks thought to be ongoing over whether the transfer can still be completed.
Enciso has only a year left on his Brighton contract and the Seagulls had been open to a sale, but doubts over his physical condition could scupper the move entirely.
Had it gone through, the deal would have represented yet another raid by BlueCo on Brighton’s resources. Since taking control of Chelsea in 2022, the ownership group have already spent more than £250m on former Seagulls staff and players, signing Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo, Robert Sanchez and Joao Pedro while also prising manager Graham Potter and his staff away.
Recruitment chiefs Paul Winstanley and Sam Jewell later followed from the Amex to Stamford Bridge.
Enciso was meant to become the fifth player acquired from Brighton, with BlueCo planning to use Strasbourg as his stepping stone.
The French club were bought in 2023 and have since become an important part of Chelsea’s talent-development pipeline. Managed by Liam Rosenior, they began the Ligue 1 season with a win at Metz and face Brondby in the Europa Conference League play-off round this week.
Enciso was being lined up as a marquee addition to strengthen their European campaign.
