Chelsea transfer news: Strasbourg confirm signing of starlet who played just 22 minutes for Club World Cup finalists

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter

Published: July 12 2025 | 12:56

Last updated: July 12 2025 | 13:10

Strasbourg confirm permanent transfer of 22-minute Chelsea starlet

Strasbourg confirm that they have signed a Chelsea starlet who played just 22 minutes for the Blues on a five-year contract.

Chelsea prospect Mathis Amougou has completed a permanent transfer to Strasbourg.

During the closing hours of the winter transfer window, the Premier League giants announced that they negotiated a surprise deal for the Saint-Etienne youngster.

The Blues paid in the region of £12.5m to acquire the services of a player who had only accumulated 857 minutes of football in Ligue 1.

At the time, it was widely reported that the 19-year-old had already been earmarked for a season-long loan with Strasbourg in 2025-26.

Instead, Chelsea have decided to cash in on the starlet with Strasbourg - also owned by BlueCo - signing Amougou on a contract until 2030.

✍️ #MercatoRCSA I ?????? ??????? ????? ?? ?????? ???
Le milieu de terrain de 19 ans s’est engagé pour une durée de cinq saisons ?

— Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace (@RCSA) July 12, 2025

A deal that makes sense?

While a transfer fee has not been disclosed, the expectation is that it will be on similar terms to what Chelsea paid for Amougou in February.

The midfielder played just twice for Chelsea during the second half of 2024-25, making his debut as an 83rd-minute substitute against Southampton in February.

That was followed up by 15 minutes in the first leg of the Conference League quarter-final against Legia Warsaw as Chelsea closed out a 3-0 victory.

However, Amougou was not part of the squad for the Club World Cup, a consequence of Andrey Santos and Dario Essugo being added to Enzo Maresca's crop of midfield options.

With no prospect of senior football anytime soon, Chelsea have decided to bolster their financial position with the Premier League and UEFA by generating a fee for Amougou.

Furthermore, they have avoided taking up one of their six foreign loan slots when it comes to sending some of their highly-rated talent abroad.

As in previous seasons, the likelihood is that Strasbourg will sign three Chelsea players on loan, two of those expected to be goalkeeper Mike Penders and playmaker Kendry Paez.