Brighton gave Chelsea owners half-price discount on Julio Enciso deal amid transfer collapse fears
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Credit: Imago
Oliver Walton
Tue 2 September 2025 22:20, UK
Brighton significantly reduced Julio Enciso’s price-tag during re-negotiations with Chelsea’s owners BlueCo who snapped him up for a discount fee to join Strasbourg.
Julio Enciso showed a lot of promise in his first two seasons at Brighton, with a particularly notable strike against Man City in 2022/23 that went on to win the BBC’s Goal of the Season award.
He struggled to make an impact under Fabian Hurzeler at the start of last season, however, and so went out on loan to relegation-battlers Ipswich Town in the January window.
Enciso did well at Ipswich, with a stunning strike against Everton added to his showreel, and while he returned to Brighton after the Tractor Boys’ relegation, another exit always seemed likely this summer.
He underwent knee surgery in Argentina in late July with a move potentially set to be scuppered until January [The Athletic], but Chelsea and Strasbourg owners BlueCo agreed to sign Enciso last month, with his move to the latter club then confirmed on Monday (1 September).
Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media
Enciso officially joined Strasbourg on deadline day on a four-year deal, and he is believed to have signed with the Ligue 1 side with a long-term view to eventually joining fellow BlueCo side Chelsea if he progresses as expected.
According to a new report from L’Equipe (Tuesday, 2 September), Brighton had initially agreed on a package of around €20million (£17.3m) for Enciso, but he then underwent a thorough medical examination following his surgery, and amid delays it appeared the deal may be off.
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They state that new negotiations were actually taking place as the move stalled, and Strasbourg were eventually able to sign the 21-year-old for less than €10m (£8.6m).
Football Insider verdict
It can be easy to write a player off if they don’t succeed at Brighton, where emerging talent always seems to come to the fore each season, but Enciso has shown that he is worthy of another chance in the top-flight in the years to come.
Him getting that chance at the AMEX Stadium always seemed unlikely, but a move to Strasbourg will have undoubtedly appealed this summer due to their impressive rise in recent years and upcoming Conference League campaign under Liam Rosenior.
AppearancesGoalsAssists5767Enciso’s Premier League career stats
The 21-year-old did impress in his short stint with Ipswich, despite their relegation, as he notched two goals and three assists in just 13 appearances for the club and was described by Kieran McKenna as a “quality” player who made “a big difference.”
He will now move to Ligue 1 hoping to carry on a similar vein of form after his knee surgery, and there is a clear path for him to move back to the top-flight in the years to come due to Chelsea’s shared ownership with the French side.