Sarr “desperate” for January loan; Rüdiger summer departure almost certain — reports

Malang Sarr is still a part of Chelsea’s senior roster, albeit only in name, with the Frenchman arguably the last person in the pecking order. He didn’t make the matchday squad in our last two Premier League games, and he’s likely set to go out on loan in January, as his agent, Federico Pasterello previously alluded to.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Calciomercato.it and Sport Mediaset, Pastorello has been “urgently” trying to find a new home for Sarr, with Inter Milan one of the clubs approached. The Nerazzurri were offered the opportunity to sign the 22-year-old on loan, with a buying option of €15m, but the Serie A side are not interested as of now. Pastorello is now continuing his search, with Sarr almost certain to depart this winter.

Alongside Sarr, Chelsea could be set to lose their other left-sided centre back, with Goal reporting that Antonio Rüdiger’s departure is almost certain to happen now, although, the latter will only depart in the summer. The Germany international is now seemingly not interested in extending his contract, despite Thomas Tuchel and the Chelsea hierarchy trying to convince Rüdiger to stay, with the latter even prioritizing the 28-year-old’s contract extension over a move for Raphaël Varane this past summer.

The last offer the Blues made was around €8m (£7m) per year, but Rüdiger knows that he would still be paid less than team-mates such as Kepa Arrizabalaga, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Romelu Lukaku. Real Madrid are optimistic about their chances of signing Rüdiger, and are leading the race ahead of the likes of Bayern Munich and PSG, with the Bundesliga side unlikely to be able to meet Rüdiger’s €12m (£10m) per year salary demands. AC Milan are also reportedly interested in Rüdiger’s services.

Unsurprisingly, Chelsea are on the lookout for centre back acquisitions, with Attila Szalai’s arrival in January likely connected to Sarr’s departure, while Ronald Araujo also continues to be linked with a summer move. However, former Blues target, Marquinhos is unlikely to join Chelsea anytime soon, with a contract extension imminent for him at PSG.