Ligue 1 clubs involved in talks to sign 23-year-old Chelsea star - Reports

Chelsea are reportedly looking to sell Malang Sarr, with Fulham and a host of Ligue 1 clubs interested in the player, as per Fabrizio Romano.

The Italian transfer specialist tweeted:

"Chelsea are working on two possible departures: Malang Sarr, been told he’s in talks with Ligue1 clubs despite Fulham bid. #CFC"

The 23-year-old defender joined Chelsea in the summer of 2020 as a free agent. He has the versatility to play both as a centre-back and a wing-back and has been used as a rotation option by Thomas Tuchel. Sarr played just 22 times across all competitions last season.

With the club being linked with several defenders this summer, Sarr's game time could reduce even further and the Blues could move him on this summer. He is not the only player on their exit list, with Romano confirming that the English club are in talks with S.S.C. Napoli over a loan move for Kepa Arrizabalaga.

He wrote in the same tweet:

"There’s a meeting scheduled today between Napoli and Kepa’s agent to discuss details of loan proposal."

Kepa joined the Blues in 2018 for a record fee of £72 million from Athletic Bilbao. He has made 123 appearances since then, keeping 47 clean sheets.

After an impressive start to his career under Maurizio Sarri, Kepa lost his form under Frank Lampard and has since only been used as a back-up goalkeeper.

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Should Chelsea sell Malang Sarr this summer?

Chelsea's defense is in sixes and sevens this summer. The Blues lost Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid and Andreas Christensen to Barcelona, both on free transfers.

The club are vying hard to retain captain Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso, both of whom only have one year left on their contracts. The duo have also been courted by Barcelona this summer.

Their senior-most central defender, Thiago Silva, will turn 38 next month. Other options at centre-back for Tuchel include summer arrival Kalidou Koulibaly, youngster Trevoh Chalobah, newbie Levi Colwill and Sarr.

The Blues clearly lack quality and numbers in defense. Selling more players before bringing in a new face could cause further problems, especially with the league season set to start this weekend.

Alternately, their rumored willingness to sell Sarr could mean they have a contingency plan in place. Romano recently reported that Chelsea are interested in signing Josko Gvardiol from Red Bull Leipzig.

He added in a different report that they have also agreed personal terms with Brighton & Hove Albion left-back Marc Cucurella.