Lens sign forgotten Chelsea defender on free transfer after contract termination

Malang Sarr has signed for Ligue 1 club Lens on a free transfer after his contract with Chelsea was terminated earlier in the summer.

Sarr first joined the Blues for free in 2020 after leaving Nice, where he made 119 appearances in four seasons after breaking through as a youngster.

His stint at Stamford Bridge was peppered by loans to Porto - where he was dropped to the reserve squad - and Monaco, though he did play 21 games during the 2021/22 campaign and was part of the squad that won the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup.

However, he was left out in the cold for the entirety of the 2023/24 season under Mauricio Pochettino and Chelsea decided to terminate Sarr's contract a year before its expiry. Lens have now confirmed the former France Under-21 international has signed a two-year deal with the option for another 12 months.

Sarr isn't the only defender expected to leave Chelsea during the summer transfer window, either.

Veteran Thiago Silva has already returned to his homeland of Brazil with Fluminense and Trevoh Chalobah was recently left out of the club's pre-season squad for their tour of the United States. The 25-year-old enjoyed a strong run of form at the end of 2023/24 after recovering from a long-term injury.

Explaining the decision, new head coach Enzo Maresca revealed he already has the likes of Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana and Axel Disasi as options in the centre of the defence.

It's already been a busy window for the west London giants, who have welcomed Omari Kellyman, Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Veiga and Caleb Wiley to the club. Ian Maatsen, Hakim Ziyech and Omari Hutchinson are among those who have left on permanent deals.

Chelsea's first pre-season friendly of the summer was a fiery 1-1 draw with Wrexham which saw Levi Colwill and James McClean come to blows early on.

READ THE LATEST CHELSEA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP