Chelsea have completed the signing of 18-year-old striker Marc Guiu from Barcelona.
He has signed a six-year deal to keep him at the club until 2030.
The Athletic reported Chelsea had reached an agreement in principle to sign Guiu and were set to activate a €6million release clause in his Barcelona contract.
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He is being seen as a Chelsea acquisition rather than one for Strasbourg, who are in their multi-club model and already used as an alternative venue to develop players.
“It’s an immense joy to sign for Chelsea and I struggled to sleep ahead of the journey here because I was so excited,” Guiu said. “Ever since I was small, it was my dream to play in the Premier League.
“Now I have the opportunity to come here to Chelsea and I will work my hardest to be successful for the club.”
Guiu is Chelsea. pic.twitter.com/6HweEFoqAh
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 1, 2024
Guiu is a product of Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy, having been at the club since 2013.
He rose to prominence last season after scoring a match-winning goal in October’s 1-0 win against Athletic Bilbao to become Barcelona’s youngest-ever player to score on debut, at the age of 17 years and 291 days.
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Guiu first appeared in the first team squad during pre-season in 2023, featuring on Barcelona’s tour of Japan.
Guiu subsequently spent last season alternating between Barcelona’s first team and Barcelona Athletic, the club’s reserve side which plays in the Spanish third tier.
The Spain youth international made seven first-team appearances during the campaign, scoring twice.
Chelsea have been in the market for striking reinforcements this summer, with Nicolas Jackson their first-choice centre-forward last season.
The Athletic reported they had an offer of €32.5million (£27.4m) plus add-ons rejected for Atletico Madrid forward Samu Omorodion. They have also held talks with the representatives of Lille striker Jonathan David, and held an interest in Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran.
Romelu Lukaku, Armando Broja, David Datro Fofana and Mason Burstow are among the attacking options returning to Stamford Bridge this summer following loan spells last season.
(Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images)
