Chelsea transfer news: Blues confirm £11.9m signing on mammoth contract

Chelsea have announced that they have finalised the signing of Strasbourg defender Mamadou Sarr.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that an agreement was in place for the France Under-20 international to make the switch to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

With both clubs under the ownership banner of BlueCo, a deal would have been fairly routine to negotiate providing that the player wanted to move to West London.

The transfer has now been confirmed after the 19-year-old established himself as one of Ligue 1's best young defenders during 2024-25.

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What is Sarr contract length, fee?

Chelsea have revealed that they have handed an eight-year contract to Sarr, keeping him tied to the club until 2033.

Although a fee has not been disclosed, it is widely reported that the central defender will be signing for Chelsea for a figure in the region of £11.9m.

The deal has been announced at this stage in order for Sarr to be included in the 35-man travelling party for the Club World Cup, which starts this week.

Sarr made 27 appearances, all from the starting lineups, during 2024-25 as Strasbourg finished in seventh place in the Ligue 1 table.

He had previously spent time in Lyon's academy, making two brief substitute outings for them in France's top flight before signing for Strasbourg last summer.

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Yet another centre-back at Chelsea...

Sarr joins Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile and Aaron Anselmino as the central-defensive options available to Enzo Maresca.

The current expectation is that Sarr will be loaned out for 2025-26, but the Club World Cup provides him with an opportunity to impress his new head coach.

While it is plausible that he could re-join Strasbourg on a temporary basis, Chelsea can only send a maximum of six players to foreign clubs through that method.

Therefore, much may depend on what offers materialise for Sarr and other players over the summer. Chalobah and Badiashile - as well as the out-of-favour Axel Disasi - have been linked with an exit in recent months.