Chelsea confirm release of £100,000-a-week star after four years as brief statement is issued
CHELSEA have released Malang Sarr after terminating his contract as his four year stay at Stamford Bridge comes to a bitter end.
The Frenchman, 25, departs west London having made 21 appearances since joining in August 2020.
Sarr spent time on loan at Porto and Monaco during his time at the club.
The centre-back failed to break back into the first team squad when Mauricio Pochettino arrived last summer and was subsequently sent to train with the Under-21s.
Following the mutual termination of his Chelsea contract, Sarr will not receive any compensation for the final year of his wages.
Sarr has now officially joined Ligue 1 side Lens on a two-year deal as he looks to revive his career.
Lens manager Pierre Dreossi said: "Versatile and with solid European experience, Malang is a player who started out very young and whose career has been marked by many challenges.
“Despite the trials and tribulations, he never gave up and now joins Racing with the firm intention of performing well."
The defender picked up a whopping £20.8million in wages from his spell in the Premier League.
He was limited to just eight Prem appearances, and last featured in the top flight in the 2021/2022 season.
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Chelsea's US tour party
Goalkeepers: Robert Sanchez, Marcus Bettinelli, Eddie Beach, Lucas Bergstrom.
Defenders: Reece James, Malo Gusto, Josh Acheampong, Wesley Fofana, Axel Disasi, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Levi Colwill, Ben Chilwell, Renato Veiga, Carney Chukwuemeka, Romeo Lavia.
Midfielders: Lesley Ugochukwu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Andrey Santos.
Forwards: Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Armando Broja, Tyrique George, Marc Guiu, Angelo.
Rested: Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernandez, Conor Gallagher, Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer.
Reported injured: Petrovic
Left out: Trevoh Chalobah, Alfie Gilchrist, Malang Sarr, Cesare Casadei, Leo Castledine, Deivid Washington, Diego Moreira, Omari Kellyman, Caleb Wiley, Tino Anjorin, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Mason Burstow, David Datro Fofana, Bashir Humphreys, Romelu Lukaku, Alex Matos, Gabriel Slonina, Harvey Vale, Dujuan Richards, Kiano Dyer, Billy Gee, Harrison Murray-Campbell, Ishe Samuels-Smith, Zak Sturge, Jimi Tauriainen, Travis Akomeah, Ato Ampah, Somto Boniface, Luke Campbell, Brodi Hughes, Harrison McMahon, Donnell McNeilly, Leo Cardoso, Max Merrick, Jimmy-Jay Morgan, Richard Olise, Samuel Rak-Sakyi, Frankie Runham, Reiss-Alexander Russell-Denny, Zain Silcott-Duberry, Ronnie Stutter, Shaun Wade, Kaiden Wilson.
Sarr began his career at Nice, debuting as a 17-year-old and making 119 first-team appearances before joining Chelsea as a free agent.
Chelsea could also cut ties with some first team players this summer.
Trevoh Chalobah was left out of Enzo Maresca's squad for the club's USA pre-season tour last week.
Blues chiefs are reportedly looking to offload him before the transfer window shuts.
Conor Gallagher could also leave despite his fan-favourite status, with Aston Villa and Tottenham registering their interest in the England international.
Meanwhile, Maresca has publicly stated that Enzo Fernandez - who is under internal investigation- is in his plans for next season after the Argentine sparked a racism storm.
The £105m Chelsea man shared shocking footage showing Argentina players signing a racist and homophobic song on their team bus about France.
