Chelsea reach agreement for FIRST January signing

Chelsea are reportedly set to sign Strasbourg defender Mamadou Sarr for a fee of €20 million.

The France U20 centre-back joined Strasbourg from Olympique Lyon for €10m in August and he has played a key role under Liam Rosenior so far this season.

Sarr has started 12 Ligue 1 matches for the BlueCo-owned club this campaign and he is considered to be one of France’s top defensive prospects.

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The 19-year-old has now reached an agreement over a long-term contract at Chelsea, according to RMC Sport reporter Fabrice Hawkins, with Sarr set to be loaned straight back to Strasbourg for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

Chelsea purchased Strasbourg in 2023, and they have sent Andrey Santos, Caleb Wiley and Djordje Petrovic on loan to the Ligue 1 club this year.

However, one of those three stars must be recalled by Chelsea if they decide to purchase Sarr and loan him back to Strasbourg. That is because FIFA rules state that teams are only allowed to send a maximum of three players on loan to the same club at any given time in one season.

Santos and Petrovic have both played key roles for Strasbourg this campaign, but Wiley has only made six appearances for the club and he is currently sidelined through injury.

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Chelsea’s January transfer business

Trevoh Chalobah and Aaron Anselmino have both returned to Chelsea this month, following loan spells at Crystal Palace and Boca Juniors respectively, but the Blues are yet to confirm their first new arrival.

Jamie Gittens, Victor Osimhen and Marc Guehi have all been linked with the Stamford Bridge outfit, however Sarr is set to be announced as the first January signing of Enzo Maresca’s reign in west London.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are hoping to offload Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei and Axel Disasi before the winter window closes, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix have also been linked with mid-season exits.