Chelsea have confirmed winger Diego Moreira has joined Strasbourg on a permanent deal.
The 20-year-old departs after just a single season at Chelsea and having made just one senior appearance for the club and has signed a five-year deal with the French side that runs until 2029.
The Athletic reported this week Moreira was likely to join Strasbourg, the Ligue 1 club who, like Chelsea, are owned by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s Blue Co consortium.
Moreira is the third Chelsea player to join Strasbourg this summer, following loan deals for Andrey Santos and Caleb Wiley.
By departing permanently as opposed to on loan, this preserves one of Chelsea’s finite international loan spots. Chelsea have already used up half of their six international loan spots to send out Santos and new signings Aaron Anselmino (to Boca Juniors) and Wiley.
Moreira moved to Chelsea from Benfica on in the summer of 2023 following the expiration of his contract. He made his solitary senior appearance for the club in the second round of the Carabao Cup against AFC Wimbledon last August.
The Portugal youth international then spent the first half of the 2023-24 campaign on loan at Lyon but featured just nine times before being recalled in January.
As Moreira had already played for Chelsea that season, he could not be loaned out again during the second half of the campaign and instead featured for the club’s under-21 side.
A Chelsea statement read: “Everyone at Chelsea would like to thank Diego for his contributions throughout his time with the club and wish him well as he begins the next chapter of his career.”
Strasbourg ended the 2023-24 campaign in 13th place in the 18-team Ligue 1, ten points clear of the relegation zone but eleven points short of European qualification places.
