Brighton & Hove Albion 'closing in on Valentin Barco signing'

Brighton & Hove Albion are reportedly closing in on the signing of Boca Juniors left-back Valentin Barco.

The 19-year-old is understood to have caught the eye of a number of European clubs ever since he made his senior debut for Boca Juniors in 2021.

Barco, a skillful, attack-minded left-back who can also operate as a left-winger, established himself as a first-team regular in the 2023 campaign, contributing with one goal and four assists in 32 matches across all competitions.

The Argentina Under-23 international was part of the Boca Juniors squad that reached the Copa Libertadores final in November last year, losing out to Fluminense in extra time.

Barco is out of contract in December 2024 and has previously been heavily linked with a move to world champions Manchester City, with one report at the end of last year claiming that they had reached an agreement to sign the teenager.

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The likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Juventus have also been credited with an interest in Barco, but Brighton now appear to be at the front of the queue for his signature.

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Brighton are on the verge of signing Barco and are set to trigger the $10m (£7.9m) release clause in the youngster's contract.

Romano adds that an agreement between all parties will be finalised at some stage this week, with all the required documents to be prepared "in the next days".

A separate report from journalist Ezequiel Sosa claims that the Seagulls will allow Barco to link up with Javier Mascherano's Argentina Under-20s squad, who will be taking part in the 2024 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament which begins on January 20.

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Should Argentina advance to the final group phase, Barco may not be in a position to represent Brighton until the end of February.

Brighton have built a reputation of recruiting hidden gems from South America and developing them into star players who either remain at the club or have been sold on the significant profit.

Ecuadorian Moises Caicedo was sold to Chelsea for a British record £115m last summer, while Argentine Alexis Mac Allister moved to Liverpool for an initial £35m in the same transfer window.

Nineteen-year-old Paraguayan forward Julio Enciso, who is currently sidelined with a long-term knee injury, and 18-year-old Argentine midfielder Facundo Buonanotte are two highly-rated South Americans who are in the current first-team plans of Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi.