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Chelsea in talks to sign Facundo Buonanotte - Fabrizio Romano
Tom Weber
- Updated: 29 Aug 2025 15:26 BST
- 5 min read
Breaking
Chelsea are working on a deal for Brighton attacker Facundo Buonanotte, according to Fabrizio Romano.
There are only a few more days left in the summer window, and Chelsea are far from done with their business. Head coach Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Alejandro Garnacho has joined the club from Man Utd, while several outcasts are set to depart.
However, the Blues intend to bring in at least one more player. Having just missed out on Xavi Simons to Tottenham, despite being in talks to sign him for weeks, the Stamford Bridge club have now moved on to different options.
Current ETV
Facundo Buonanotte
AM (C), M (CR)
Brighton
Facundo Buonanotte
AM (C), M (CR)
Brighton
ETV Range
€27.2M - €33.3M
Talks have taken place with Barcelona star Fermin Lopez in recent days, but Chelsea have yet to receive any encouragement that the player is willing to leave the Spanish champions.
This has now seen them move on to a new target in the shape of Brighton attacking midfielder Facundo Buonanotte, who has been widely expected to depart the Seagulls this summer.
Chelsea in talks to sign Buonanotte
According to Fabrizio Romano, talks between the two clubs are already in full swing. Meanwhile, David Ornstein of The Athletic reports that an agreement is 'close' for a loan.
Buonanotte has been in talks with several clubs in recent weeks, primarily the likes of Leeds, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. A move to Leeds collapsed, while Brighton refused to sanction a temporary exit to the Bundesliga due to the limited number of permitted international loans.
Interestingly, Ben Jacobs reports that this deal is not necessarily for Chelsea but that it is rather driven by their owners BlueCo 'with a view to Strasbourg as well.'
As things stand, it is unclear what exactly this means because Chelsea can't sign Buonanotte and loan him to their sister club, as they have already used up their three available loan spots on Mike Penders, Kendry Paez and Mamadou Sarr.
Jacobs adds that Brighton have informed Chelsea that they do not wish to sell the 20-year-old permanently and that they will only sanction a loan. If he is to join Strasbourg from Brighton, this would mean that the Seagulls have changed their tune on an international loan.
However, Fabrizio Romano has reiterated that this is indeed a loan deal for Chelsea, with the player having already agreed personal terms with the West London outfit. Sky Sports has confirmed that this is a loan deal for the Blues with no purchase option or obligation.
BlueCo had also agreed a deal for fellow Brighton player Julio Enciso, with him set to join Strasbourg before heading to Chelsea, but this move is hanging in the balance after his medical yielded unsatisfactory results.
This is a live story, and more details are bound to emerge in due course.
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