Julio Enciso's controversial move away from Brighton collapses after fans left 'disgusted' by transfer

Julio Enciso will no longer join BlueCo, the company which owns Chelsea and Strasbourg, after his controversial move from Brighton & Hove Albion collapsed at the last minute, according to reports in Paraguay.

The 21-year-old, who spent the final six months of last season on loan at Ipswich Town, returned to parent club Brighton this summer, but was not part of Fabian Hurzeler’s plans for the upcoming campaign.

Despite interest from Roma and Brazilian outfit Palmeiras, it looked like Enciso was on the verge of completing a £13.8 million transfer to the BlueCo group, with the player all set to join Ligue 1 side Strasbourg before potentially moving to Chelsea next season.

As predicted, the proposed transfer became a big discussion point on social media, with many reacting negatively to the idea of him joining BlueCo, which is led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.

One fan wrote: "Quite honestly find it so disgusting that we report transfers as players being signed by investment groups and not clubs. Football is broken," while another commented: "Multi-club ownership is ruining the sport and needs to be stopped."

Enciso looked set to leave Brighton. Image credit: Getty

But days later and the deal has reportedly fallen through, according to Paraguayan journalist Wilson Gonzalez Bronce, who suggests Enciso failed a medical on Tuesday due to concerns over a previous knee injury.

Speaking to Radio Nanduti on Tuesday, Bronce began: "I’ve just received confirmation and this is now 100 per cent certain. Unfortunately, Julio Enciso’s transfer to the BlueCo ownership fell through.

"They were going to place him first at Racing Strasbourg in French football and after a year, he had the possibility of playing for Chelsea.

"Unfortunately, Julio Enciso did not pass the medical. They tried in the following way – usually, medical tests are only for one day, you either pass them or you don’t pass them and you’re not signed. There are not many cases in which a professional footballer does not pass the medical.

"Normally, it is a routine matter, but on this occasion, and due to the three operations that Julio Enciso has already had on the same knee, they had to do an extra test, which he also did not pass. Unfortunately, this took place this morning.

"At this point, we can confirm 100% that Julio Enciso will not be signed and the Paraguayan player, the jewel of Paraguayan football, will have to stay at Brighton, a team with which he still has a contract until June next year."

Bronce added: "But I insist on this, the possibility of being transferred and then playing for Chelsea has fallen through."

Enciso has struggled with knee injuries in the past. Image credit: Getty

Enciso has undergone three separate surgeries on his left knee, with the most recent taking place this summer.