Chelsea and AS Monaco have reportedly reached an agreement for the loan transfer of French defender Malang Sarr in the ongoing transfer window.
According to a report by French publication L’Equipe, AS Monaco and Chelsea have reached an agreement that would see defender Malang Sarr join the Ligue 1 club on a season-long loan deal. Sarr has been on the fringes of the Chelsea first team and is on the lookout for a team that would offer him regular game time in the 2022/23 season.
The French centre-back started his professional career with Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice before joining Chelsea in the 2020 summer transfer window. However, Sarr’s stay in west London was short-lived as the Premier League heavyweights shipped him off to FC Porto on a season-long loan deal immediately.
Sarr’s time at Porto was not successful as he missed the majority of the season after a strong start. The 23-year-old returned to Stamford Bridge last summer after making 27 appearances across all competitions for the Portuguese giants, including representing their B side in the Portuguese second division.
With the Blues, the French defender was again used sporadically, and he totalled just 21 appearances across all competitions in the 2021/22 season. And even with Thomas Tuchel short on defensive reinforcements, Chelsea are allowing Sarr to leave on loan this summer.
Newly-promoted Premier League club Fulham were among the first clubs to show interest and even tabled a bid to sign Sarr permanently. However, as things have turned out, AS Monaco now lead the race to secure his signature and have agreed on terms with Chelsea soon after reportedly initiating talks.
As per the report by L’Equipe, Chelsea and Monaco have agreed on a €750,000 loan fee, with the Ligue 1 giants carrying the option of signing the centre-back permanently for €12 million. The 23-year-old can also double up as a left-back, which is of special interest to AS Monaco.
Sarr still has three years left on his contract with Chelsea, but it is highly unlikely that the Blues will keep hold of him until and unless he performs exceptionally well in the upcoming season in Ligue 1 with AS Monaco to convince Tuchel.
