Chelsea defender Malang Sarr joins Monaco on season-long loan

The 23-year-old made 21 first-team appearances for the Blues last season in all competitions

Chelsea defender Malang Sarr has joined Ligue 1 side Monaco on a season-long loan.

The 23-year-old made 21 first-team appearances for the Blues last season across all competitions, eight of them coming in the Premier League, but has left for a second loan spell in search of regular first-team football.

Although Chelsea have lost both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen from their central defensive options this summer, they have signed Kalidou Koulibaly and continue to be linked with other targets.

Sarr, who signed for Chelsea two years ago from Nice, spent the 2020-21 campaign with Porto, where he made 19 appearances, six of them in the Champions League.

Sarr had multiple offers to leave on loan last term too, but opted to stay at Stamford Bridge. He made his first-team debut in the Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out win over Aston Villa in September before starting the 1-0 Premier League win over Brentford in October.

Sarr also appeared as a substitute in both of Chelsea’s matches in the FIFA Club World Cup when they beat Palmeiras to lift the trophy in Abu Dhabi in February.