Chelsea have been linked with many different new players in the last few weeks, and a lot of links with potential new defenders coming in as well. ..Continue Reading
According to reports, Chelsea has finalized a £13m agreement to sign French center-back Mamadou Sarr from Strasbourg.
The 19-year-old Sarr has made 12 appearances for Ligue 1 side Strasbourg since his transfer from Lyon last summer.
Todd Boehly’s BlueCo consortium, which acquired Chelsea in 2022 and also owns Strasbourg, facilitated an amicable deal.
Chelsea will pay around £13m for Sarr, but the young defender will remain at Strasbourg for the rest of the season before joining Stamford Bridge in the summer.
Despite heavy involvement in Lyon’s youth teams, Sarr only made two first-team appearances before his £6m transfer to Strasbourg last summer.
Having signed a five-year contract with Strasbourg, Sarr will move to Chelsea after just one season. Eligible to play for Senegal, he chose to represent France at the youth level, captaining the U17 team to European Championship glory in 2022.
Currently, Strasbourg sits 10th in Ligue 1 with six wins, six draws, and six losses in 18 games.
Chelsea has dropped to sixth in the Premier League after failing to secure a win in their last five matches. Enzo Maresca has expressed concerns about defensive options, leading to the recall of Trevoh Chalobah from his loan spell at Crystal Palace.
The Blues have been linked with a potential move for England defender Marc Guehi, but Sarr’s arrival may affect that deal.
After adding over ten new players last summer, including high-profile signings Pedro Neto and Joao Felix, Chelsea’s strong start to the season faltered during the festive period.
They will be eager to secure their first league win since December 15 when they face Wolves at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.
‘On the pitch, for sure I would like to win more games, but I’m OK,’ Maresca said ahead of the Wolves clash.
‘Off the pitch it’s a disaster because [there are] so many noises that I don’t think help us, but I don’t think they help any club.
‘It’s for every club [and] every manager. When there is any noise about some player, it’s not easy, because even if you think the player can be focused on us, in the end they are human beings.
‘So if there is any noise about some different clubs, probably [the player] is not focused 100 per cent, so it doesn’t help.’
