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1 month ago
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Chelsea have recalled loanee Mamadou Sarr from Strasbourg, with Aaron Anselmino moving in the opposite direction to the French club.
The exchange of the two 20‑year‑old central defenders takes place between clubs under the same Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital ownership group, named BlueCo.
Sarr is not due in London until Tuesday so is unlikely to feature in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final at Arsenal on the same day.
It comes amid a complicated end to Chelsea's winter transfer window, with the club having tried to sign now-Liverpool bound Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet.
Jacquet, also 20, opted for Anfield in a deal worth £55m plus £5m in add-ons, with Chelsea happy enough to add Sarr to their stable of young defenders, which also includes highly-rated academy graduate Josh Acheampong.
Anselmino was recalled from his loan at Borussia Dortmund last week and was filmed in tears as he said goodbye to team‑mates in Germany.
Reports there said Dortmund were "incensed" and caught by surprise by Chelsea's decision, which is understood to have been communicated three hours before a clause permitting a recall expired.
Dortmund said they "regretted" the sudden departure.
Chelsea were frustrated that Dortmund officials went public about their intention to sign Anselmino permanently, despite being told he was not for sale under any circumstances.
In addition to signing Anselmino on loan, Strasbourg will also bring in striker David Datro Fofana to cover for a training ground hamstring injury to future Chelsea-bound attacker and captain Emanuel Emegha.
Sarr featured for Strasbourg in their 2-1 defeat at home to Paris St‑Germain on Sunday night, which is likely to be his final match for the Alsace club.
Last January, Chelsea completed their first permanent signing from Strasbourg since the two clubs came under the same BlueCo ownership, in a £12m deal.
Sarr made one substitute appearance for Chelsea as they won the Club World Cup in the summer before returning to Strasbourg on loan in August.
Recently appointed Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior described Sarr as "my son", with "scary" potential to become "world class" during his spell in charge of Strasbourg last season.
The defender's return, after winning the Africa Cup of Nations as a starter for Senegal in January, is likely to provoke anger among Strasbourg supporters.
Protests from a minority of fans earlier in the season intensified when Rosenior left the club to replace Enzo Maresca, who had fallen out with senior figures at Chelsea and departed on New Year's Day.
Along with Fofana's loan move, deals that see Sarr and Anselmino swap places are the 10th and 11th deals between the two clubs this season, including the one that saw Rosenior move for a compensation fee from France to England.
Chelsea's defence has not performed at the level of their attack in the Premier League this season and they rank only 11th for expected goals (xG) against despite having conceded the joint-third fewest goals.
Yet Chelsea can strengthen their defence in the short term by bringing back a player Rosenior likes working with, while they will re-double their efforts to sign a centre-back in the summer.
They are also interested in signing another midfielder and an attacker, having briefly expressed an interest in now-Aston Villa loanee Douglas Luiz and Manchester City winger Antoine Semenyo over the winter period.
