Chelsea have agreed a permanent deal with sister-club Strasbourg for the transfer of January 2025 signing Mathis Amougou.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Mathis Amougou is set to make his return to France after Chelsea agreed a permanent switch with sister club Strasbourg. The midfielder only arrived in January 2025 from Saint-Etienne, and the permanent switch might be designed to protect loan spots between the two clubs.
Mathis Amougou’s stint at Chelsea was short-lived as the midfielder is set for a return to Ligue 1. The 19-year-old was a key part of Saint-Ettienne in the first half of last season, making 17 appearances in the league, but found the opportunity to join the London giants in January and took it.
Chelsea signed Amougou from Saint-Etienne, but the original plan was not to keep him in the main squad. Chelsea have a sister-club under the same ownership in Strasbourg, and the two sides have engaged in regular transfer business, mostly on loan.
Chelsea recently signed defender Mamadou Sarr from Strasbourg on a permanent deal, and that move was probably designed to protect the limited loan slots between the two sides. They had wanted to send Amougou on loan to the French side as soon as his move happened in January, but were unable to do so.
The idea was to send him on loan in the summer, but now Chelsea have opted against the plan and decided to sell him to RC Strasbourg. The deal is widely considered an ‘internal transaction’ for BlueCo, and the midfielder joins for an undisclosed fee while signing a five-year deal with the Ligue 1 outfit.
Chelsea are protecting loan slots with Strasbourg
As mentioned earlier, the Sarr deal was probably designed to protect the limited loan slots, and while they could have used one of those for Amougou, the two clubs have opted against it. Going forward in the window, Chelsea could potentially send a player or two to Strasbourg.
Chelsea are active in the market to bring highly talented young players into the mix, but many of those are not expected to be a part of Enzo Maresca’s first team. In the case of Amougou, the Chelsea 2025 signing was always seen as someone who could develop and be sold for profits, which the Blues may have already achieved if the fee agreed with Strasbourg is higher than what they paid for him in January.
