Chelsea owners BlueCo closing in on Julio Enciso deal - sources

Brighton midfielder Julio Enciso is closing in on a move to a BlueCo club, the company which owns both Chelsea and Strasbourg, sources have told ESPN.

Although a deal is yet to be finalised, one source suggests the fee is likely to be in the region of €15 million ($17m) plus add-ons.

Enciso is expected to join Strasbourg initially but sources say he is viewed as a Chelsea player in the long-term and could subsequently move to Stamford Bridge in 2026 or later.

He would then become the 15th player or staff member Chelsea have signed from Brighton since BlueCo -- comprising a consortium including Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly -- completed their takeover of the west London side in 2022.

Speaking about the situation on Thursday, Brighton boss Fabian Hürzeler said: "There are some rumours, there are some talks but nothing is done yet so we can't comment on that."

Enciso has scored five goals and registered six assists in 57 appearances since joining the club from Libertad for around £9.5m in 2022 and spent the second half of last season on loan at Ipswich Town.

"He is a young guy with big potential," Hürzeler continued. "He showed it I think during his time so far in Brighton.

"He showed it also when he played for the national team. Overall, it was very positive. Of course, there were also some moments when he had setbacks with his injuries.

"But he is a young kid who wants to play football. You really can feel the passion in him. Overall is very nice to work with him.

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"I wouldn't say it didn't work. Some players perform better in some environments. Some players struggle with some cultural things. But overall I wouldn't say it was a bad time if he were to leave.

"He is still a very young player with big potential. If big clubs are interested in him, I would say he didn't play well or have a good time here in Brighton.

"You can see there is a big interest in him because he has big potential, because he showed great stuff for us."