Chelsea are reportedly closing in on a deal to sign former Nice defender Malang Sarr on a free transfer, beating Arsenal and Barcelona in the process.
As per reports from Daily Mail, Malang Sarr may be heading to a different part of London. Early reports surfacing of Arsenal being the favourites have been quashed as the former Nice defender is reportedly closing in on a move to Chelsea, with Barcelona also being left in the trail.
The report has also been backed by reputed journalist Fabrizio Romano, who has highlighted that Chelsea will look to wrap up the deal for Malang Sarr after they announce the capture of Thiago Silva from PSG, also on a free transfer.
This will not only do a great deal of help in balancing the books at Chelsea, with heavy investment already made in the squad while they chase the likes of Kai Havertz and Ben Chilwell.
Labelled as one of the most enterprising up-and-coming defenders in the European footballing scene, Malang Sarr chose to be a contract rebel and test the Bosman agency rather than extending his deal at Nice. The French defender spent four regular seasons in Ligue 1, making over 100 appearances for the club before opting to head a different direction, especially with clubs like Arsenal, Barcelona and now Chelsea in the mix.
For Arsenal, Sarr would mean an instant quality addition in central defence without having to spend much of the transfer budget except for the signing on fee. With Mikel Arteta wanting a couple of fresh centre-backs in to beef up the position, the 21-year-old would also complement returning loanee William Saliba, who is expected to be a regular for the Gunners.
Barcelona are looking at a squad overhaul under Ronald Koeman, with only a few players labelled ‘untouchable’ within the squad. The 8-2 rout at the hands of Bayern Munich is a stark reminder that the defence needs reinforcements in the summer. Bringing in Sarr would allow them to do that while keeping the budget to spend on other areas.
Chelsea, though, seem to be having a tremendous transfer window. Having already secured the future of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech at Stamford Bridge for the coming season(s), the Blues are ever closer to confirming the capture of Thiago Silva on a free transfer.
21-year-old Sarr would fit in nicely in what has refreshingly become one of the younger squads in the league thanks to the Frank Lampard revolution. It would come as a bit of a shock if Chelsea do pull this off over Arsenal and Barcelona considering the affinity of French players towards the two clubs.
Chelsea are in talks also today with Malang Sarr agent to decide soon if signing him as a free agent. If Chelsea will buy Sarr, they’d consider to loan him out (many Bundesliga clubs are ready to aso for him). ? #CFC #Chelsea
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 25, 2020
Also, there are reports that Chelsea will look to loan the player out instead of using him in the squad, which ideally should give Arsenal the edge.
