Brighton to complete £8m deal for Boca Juniors wonderkid Valentin Barco

Brighton will complete the £7.8million signing of Boca Juniors left-back Valentin Barco once he undergoes a medical in Argentina.

The highly-rated 19-year-old, who can also play as a winger, is with Argentina's Under-23 squad. He has agreed a four and a half year contract with the option of a further 12 months.

Manchester City are understood to shown interest in hijacking the Seagulls' swoop for the youngster, who is a Boca Juniors regular, before Brighton sealed the deal.

The Seagulls' scouting network in the Americas has helped them land numerous emerging talents over the years.

Their status as a club in Europe who can still offer a clear pathway to first-team football is attractive.

In the summer, they sold Moises Caicedo - recruited directly from Ecuador - to Chelsea for a British record £115m.

Barco has played 35 times for Boca Juniors since breaking into their first team in 2021 and has featured in the 2-1 loss to Fluminense in the Copa Libertadores final in November.

Meanwhile, Brighton midfielder Jensen Weir, 21, has joined League One side Port Vale on loan for the remainder of the season.

It comes just days after Seagulls goalkeeper James Beadle moved to Sheffield Wednesday on loan until the end of the season.

Beadle, 19, spent the first half of the season on loan at Oxford United and was impressive in their League One promotion push before being recalled.