Chelsea ship out another defender as Malang Sarr completes season-long loan switch to France

Chelsea defender Malang Sarr has joined Ligue 1 side Monaco on a season-long loan despite making his mark with the club last season.

The 23-year-old made 21 first-team appearances for the Blues last term across all competitions. Eight of those came in the Premier League, but he’s left for a second loan in search of regular football.

Although Chelsea have lost both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen from their central defensive options this summer, they have signed Kalidou Koulibaly and continue to be linked with other targets – including Leicester star Wesley Fofana.

Sarr, who signed for Chelsea two years ago from Nice, spent the 2020-21 campaign with Porto. He made 19 appearances, six of them in the Champions League, for the Portuguese outfit.

Sarr had multiple offers to leave on loan last term too, but opted to stay at Stamford Bridge.

He made his first-team debut in the Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out win over Aston Villa in September. He then started the 1-0 Premier League win over Brentford in October.

Sarr also appeared as a substitute in both of Chelsea’s matches in the FIFA Club World Cup. The Blues beat Palmeiras to lift the trophy in Abu Dhabi in February.

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