With just four days to go before the Ligue 1 restart against Olympique de Marseille, Racing Club de Strasbourg has launched into a real race against the clock to reshape its squad. Between record sales and the arrival of young talents, Racing's look is changing dramatically ahead of the showdown at the Vélodrome.
Record sales for unprecedented financial firepower Racing has hit hard on the outgoing market, racking up more than €90 million in revenue this summer. The headline move concerns Diego Moreira, on his way to AC Milan for a record fee of around €50 million (bonuses included), making it the biggest sale in the club's history. At the same time, the club has confirmed the departures of Julio Enciso to Ipswich Town for more than €30 million, and of club-trained youngster Abdoul Ouattara (around €20 million). These funds allow Racing to post a positive financial balance of +€37 million even before the Moreira deal is finalised, giving them considerable room to manoeuvre for the rest of the mercato.
Jacobo Ortega: the new offensive "bet" To offset the departures of Emegha and Enciso, Strasbourg officially confirmed on Monday the arrival of Jacobo Ortega from Real Madrid. This 1.90m centre-forward, a pure product of the Fábrica, has signed until 2031 for an estimated fee of €10 million. Having scored 18 goals last season with the Castilla side and won the Youth League, Ortega embodies the club's strategy: banking on very young, high-potential talents. He could even make his debut as early as Friday night at the Vélodrome, given how real the attacking urgency is. He joins other summer signings such as winger Fábio Baldé (bought for around €7m) and attacking midfielder Giovanni Reyna.
Defence: Mitchell arrives, Coulibaly deal heating up The defensive department is also going through major changes. The arrival of Jeyland Mitchell (Sturm Graz) is done and dusted for around €8 million, with only the official announcement pending after his medical. However, Racing don't intend to stop there and are pushing hard for Karim Coulibaly, Werder Bremen's 19-year-old centre-back. Although two offers have already been rejected, a third bid is imminent for this quick, left-footed profile. Competition is fierce, with Sporting CP and Nottingham Forest also in the running for the player, whose price tag is now estimated between €25 and €30 million.
Guéla Doué's status uncertain ahead of Marseille Finally, the lineup for Friday's match will depend on the final hours of the mercato. Guéla Doué, heavily courted by Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund, is still a Strasbourg player for now. If he isn't transferred by then, he should keep his place on the pitch at the Vélodrome for this season's first real-world test. Other deals remain open, notably that of Omari Kellyman (Chelsea), whose permanent transfer is said to be well advanced to strengthen the attacking midfield.
