Chelsea is set to bring back Mamadou Sarr from his loan at their sister club, Strasbourg, and will send Aaron Anselmino to France in exchange, according to sources cited by ESPN. The transfer is expected to be finalized before the transfer window closes on Monday.
Sarr, who has been serving as captain at Strasbourg, completed a full match in a 2-1 defeat against PSG on Sunday, marking his last appearance in Ligue 1 prior to his return.
The Senegalese international, who is 20 years old and under contract with Chelsea until 2033, will now finish the season playing in the Premier League, a move that has already upset many Strasbourg supporters.
This decision came at the request of Liam Rosenior, who had worked with Sarr at Strasbourg before taking over at Chelsea. Sarr is scheduled to travel to London on Monday to begin this new phase of his career.
In light of Sarr’s departure, Chelsea will send Argentine center-back Anselmino, also 20, to Strasbourg on loan for the remainder of the season. This comes after the termination of his loan with Borussia Dortmund last week.
Chelsea has been on the lookout for a center-back and had two prior bids rejected by different French teams: a €50 million offer to Rennes for Jérémy Jacquet and a €30 million proposal to Nantes for Tylel Tati.
Initially, Chelsea’s plan was for Sarr to join the first team after the season, but they opted for this swap deal to expedite the process.