Chelsea defender Malang Sarr was expected to complete a move away from the club on deadline day.
The 25-year-old has struggled for game time since joining the Blues in 2020 and he has had loan spells away from the club.
According to journalist Josue Casse, French outfit Le Havre were working on signing the defender yesterday but Chelsea blocked his exit on deadline day. The defender was expected to terminate his contract with Chelsea and join the French club. However, no agreement was reached in the end.
The French defender is not a part of their first-team plans and therefore Chelsea’s decision is quite surprising. Sarr needs to play regularly at this stage of his career and staying at Stamford Bridge will not be ideal for him. The defender will certainly be disappointed with the decision from the club.
The 25-year-old central defender has a contract with Chelsea until the summer of 2025, and it remains to be seen whether he can secure a permanent exit from the club at the end of the season now.
If he manages to get his contract terminated before that, he will be able to join another club as a free agent. It will be interesting to see how the situation develops.
Chelsea have a bloated squad right now and they should look to get rid of their fringe players. Selling Sarr in January would have been ideal for all parties.