Malang Sarr has joined Ligue 1 club Lens on a free transfer following the termination of his contract with Chelsea earlier this summer.
Sarr originally signed with Chelsea on a free transfer in 2020 after leaving Nice, where he had made 119 appearances in four seasons. His time at Stamford Bridge included loan spells at Porto, where he was briefly demoted to the reserve squad, and Monaco. He featured in 21 games during the 2021/22 season and was part of the squad that won the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup.
However, Sarr did not make any appearances during the 2023/24 season under Mauricio Pochettino, leading Chelsea to terminate his contract a year before its expiration. Lens have now confirmed that Sarr has signed a two-year deal with an option for an additional 12 months.
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Sarr is not the only defender expected to leave Chelsea this summer. Veteran Thiago Silva has returned to Brazil with Fluminense, and Trevoh Chalobah was recently omitted from the club’s pre-season squad for their U.S. tour. Chalobah had shown strong form towards the end of the 2023/24 season after recovering from a long-term injury.
New head coach Enzo Maresca has noted that he already has Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana, and Axel Disasi as defensive options.
Chelsea have been active in the transfer market, adding Omari Kellyman, Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Veiga, and Caleb Wiley to their squad. Meanwhile, Ian Maatsen, Hakim Ziyech, and Omari Hutchinson are among those who have left the club on permanent deals.
Chelsea’s first pre-season friendly ended in a heated 1-1 draw with Wrexham, featuring an early altercation between Levi Colwill and James McClean.