Chelsea's BlueCo transfer strategy explained as Blues raid Brighton for 15th time

Chelsea are set to poach yet another player from Brighton after their owners agreed a move for midfielder Julio Enciso - but he is actually signing for their sister club Strasbourg first before joining the London side at a later date.

It would be the 15th time Chelsea have taken a player or staff member from the Amex since 2022, with the Seagulls effectively becoming a feeder team for the Blues.

The Athletic have reported that Strasbourg, also owned by Chelsea chief Todd Boehly, will pay around £15million for Enciso - who will spend a year in France before becoming a long-term player at Stamford Bridge. Brighton have now made almost £300m in sales from Chelsea's owners raiding their club after Joao Pedro joined for around £60mearlier this summer.

Marc Cucurella was the first player to join Chelsea from Brighton in the Boehly era in 2022, before manager Graham Potter joined months later - taking with him five staff members. Robert Sanchez and Moises Caceido are two other big names who have switched between the clubs.

After yet another deal between Boehly and Brighton owner Tony Bloom, Mirror Sport has taken a look at Chelsea's strategy and the relationship between the clubs.

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How have Chelsea owners have pulled off the Enciso move?

Chelsea have spent nearly £250m in transfers this summer and are still eyeing up more deals after pursuing the likes of Red Bull Leipzig's Xavi Simons, Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho and Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers.

Going the other way, they have managed to rake in around £200m, but should any of Simons, Garnacho or Rogers join the Blues before deadline day, it would leave the club needing to further balance the books to avoid breaching PSR rules.

According to the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules, clubs are allowed to record losses of £105m over a three-year period. However, £15m of that is allowed as "own money" losses and £90m covered by owner investments.

Signing Enciso this season certainly would have taken up a large chunk of Chelsea's budget, but there is no rule again him joining another club as far as PSR rules are concerned.

It would mean that 21-year-old Enciso - who has played 57 times for Brighton over the last three seasons - won't account for Chelsea's financial outgoings for this season and they can integrate him at a later date without falling foul of PSR regulations.

Strasbourg role

Boehly's company BlueCo - together with investment company Clearlake Capital - took over Strasbourg for £65.2m in 2023 and have since used the club as an outlet for Chelsea to send players on loan for experience.

Boehly had previously attempted to strike a similar deal at French side Bordeaux but was unable to agree a takeover.

When Boehly bought Strasbourg, he said he was committed to "preserving its heritage" but also said he wanted to "further our presence in European football" and "create huge opportunities to share knowledge and expertise".

The American billionaire added that owning the club provided "a pathway for our young superstars to get on to the Chelsea pitch while getting them real game time".

Chelsea's multi-club ownership strategy follows a similar set up to Manchester City, whose City Group firm also own Girona, Palermo, New York City, Melbourne City and Mumbai City.

Who else has joined the French club?

Chelsea have utilised their connection with Strasbourg by sending a number of youngsters on loan to the club, who are managed by former Hull City boss Liam Rosenior.

This season, goalkeeper Mike Penders plus youngsters Kendry Paez and Mamadou Sarr - who have only just signed for Chelsea - have been sent on loan to the club.

Sarr cost around £12m from Strasbourg and has now been loaned back to the club, while Paez was signed from Independiente for around £8m.

All three players will get experience of playing in the UEFA Conference League this season after Strasbourg finished seventh in Ligue 1 last season.

In recent seasons, Strasbourg haved signed Ishe Samuels-Smith, Mathis Amougou and Diego Moreira from Chelsea on permanent deals.

Last season, they loaned goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, who has since joined Bournemouth, and defender Caleb Wiley. The first Chelsea youngsters loaned to the Alsace club were Angelo and Andrey Santos.

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