Chelsea defender Malang Sarr is reportedly on his way to Portugal, with FC Porto set to sign him on loan for the 2020/21 campaign.
According to an exclusive report from Le10 Sport, new Chelsea signing Malang Sarr could be on his way out of the club only a month after arriving, with FC Porto set to sign him on a season-long loan deal.
The 21-year-old centre-back made his name at boyhood club OGC Nice, going on to make 119 appearances for the French Ligue 1 outfit. He joined Chelsea earlier this summer on a free transfer, after his contract with Nice ran out.
Sarr signed a five-year contract with Chelsea, although both the player and the club had agreed that he will be loaned out for the 2020/21 campaign.
Upon his signing, the Blues director Marina Granovskaia had said: “The opportunity to sign Malang was one we could not miss. He is a tremendous prospect and we will be monitoring him closely during his loan period, hoping he will soon be back at Chelsea.”
Blue is the colour! Happy and grateful to sign for @ChelseaFC ?? Thanks for the love and support! Let's get to work and achieve big things together #CFC #YoungKing pic.twitter.com/54xgryC9sk
— Malang Sarr (@MalangSarr_) August 27, 2020
There was no shortage of suitors for the 21-year-old, as the likes of AS Saint-Etienne in France and Serie A clubs Genoa and Sampdoria were all keen on taking him on loan. However, the report claims that Sarr has chosen to join FC Porto, with a move expected to be completed imminently.
Primarily a left-sided centre-back, Sarr can also play in the left-back slot. And the Portuguese heavyweights will be in need of a new left-back, considering that they have reached an agreement with Manchester United for the sale of Alex Telles. Besides, with Pepe turning 37 years old, adding another young centre-back made sense for Sergio Conceicao’s side.
Sarr is unlikely to be the only player to leave Chelsea before the transfer deadline day. The Blues have already loaned Ross Barkley out to Aston Villa, while Tiemoue Bakayoko is closing in on a return to Italy, where he will be joining Napoli on a year-long temporary deal.
In addition, Victor Moses, who doesn’t feature in the plans of manager Frank Lampard, could also be on the move, with Inter Milan eyeing a late swoop for the versatile star.