Everton leading Chelsea, others in Pape Matar Sarr race — report

Chelsea were recently linked to rising Ligue 1 youngster, Pape Matar Sarr. And according to the Daily Mail, it is actually Everton who are leading the chase for the Senegal international.

The report claims that Sarr has already caught the eye of a number of Premier League clubs, despite only making his senior debut for Ligue 1 club Metz in November. The financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the breakdown of the French league’s TV deal will most likely lead to fire sales at a lot of clubs which are part of the competition. Since Sarr is arguably Metz’s most valuable asset, the likelihood of his sale in order to bring in some much-needed funds is rather high.

The Merseyside club has seemingly already held talks with the French side, but Metz are apparently banking on interest from the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle United to drive up his price. The Ligue 1 club are hoping to coup £27m from his transfer, with the 18-year-old’s current deal expiring in 2025.

With N’Golo Kanté on the other side of 30 now, it’s probably time for us to start looking at a long-term heir for him. Sarr certainly fits that profile, so he could prove to be the deputy that we’re looking for.