Chelsea defender Malang Sarr is set to complete a move to French side Lens and will sign a two year contract with the club according to reports. 

It’s been a busy summer so far at Stamford Bridge with six new faces arriving at the club, but the Blues are also looking to offload a number of players in the window including Sarr, Romelu Lukaku and Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Sarr arrived at Chelsea on a free transfer in 2020 and signed a five year deal at Stamford Bridge, but has spent two seasons out on loan at Monaco and Porto.

Malang Sarr set to join Lens

The Frenchman has made 21 appearances for the Blues and and has won the Club World Cup during his time in west London.

Sarr was completely frozen out at Chelsea last season under Mauricio Pochettino and was often seen training with the club’s youth sides, but it appears an exit is drawing nearer.

Foot Mercato report a full agreement has been reached between the 25-year-old and Lens on a two year contract, with a medical expected in the next 48 hours.

Sarr was close to joining French side Le Havre in the January window but that move collapsed, and he has posted regular videos on social media this summer of him training hard ahead of the new campaign.

The report adds that Lens see the defender as a “valuable reinforcement” for their defence and Sarr will no doubt be delighted to get back to playing regular football.

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Sarr has experience of playing in France have played for both Nice and Monaco making 119 and 17 appearances respectively.

Chelsea have already sold Ian Maatsen and Omari Hutchison to Aston Villa and Ipswich respectively, and Sarr looks like he will be the next departure, although there’s no mention of a transfer fee for the defender who only has a year left on his deal.

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Arsenal appear to have a clear priority as the Premier League season approaches at speed, Mikel Arteta wants to add another central midfielder.

It looked for some time as if that midfielder might be Youri Tielemans of Leicester City, but the latest reporting is that their interest in the Belgian midfielder is cooling.

If, as seems to be the case, Arsenal turn their attention elsewhere, Football London are tipping RC Lens’ Seko Fofana as the perfect candidate to occupy the vacant spot. An all-rounder, Fofana scored 12 goals last season and is a force of nature between both boxes, which would add something different to Arsenal’s midfield.

Lens manager Franck Haise recently admitted to RMC Sport that Fofana could leave the club, which comes off the back of suggestions from L’Equipe that Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal and Newcastle are all interested in the 27-year-old. PSG have since dropped their interest, leaving the door open for the Gunners to make a move.

Fofana was once of Manchester City too, after joining from Lorient as a teenager, but Pep Guardiola decided he was surplus to requirements. If he could convert his Ligue 1 form to the Premier League, Fofana would be a valuable asset for Arteta.

Image via  FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP via Getty Images

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Nottingham Forest are looking forward to being back in the Premier League for the first time in 23 years, but will do so without one of the players who did the most to get them back there.

The writing has been on the wall for some time after Forest brought in Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson on the loan. Samba’s deal was expiring next summer and he had made it clear to the club that he would not be renewing his contract.

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? https://t.co/Lx2r0zfsyL #Mercatix #FierDEtreLensois @samba_brice pic.twitter.com/mUBpf4tj1y

— Racing Club de Lens (@RCLens) July 5, 2022

On Tuesday evening, Ligue 1 side RC Lens announced an agreement for Samba, although no fee was given. Nottinghamshire Live referenced a L’Equipe report which set the fee at £4.3m.

Samba made a series of crucial saves in the Championship Play-Off semi-final to see Forest through to the final and without him, may well not have made it to the top division. Even if Henderson could arguably be called an upgrade on Samba, Forest fans will surely feel a pang of regret that Samba is leaving after three years and a significant contribution.

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Arsenal have agreed a £3m deal for the double signing of highly-rated Lens youth stars Yassin Fortune and Jeff Reine-Adelaide, according to reports from France.

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French media outlet Lensois.com report that Arsenal have secured the signatures of 16-year-old attacking midfielder Yassin Fortune and 17-year-old forward Jeff Reine-Adelaide.

Fortune, a versatile midfielder, who can also play as a striker or a winger, was a target for Manchester United – yet the lure of working with Arsene Wenger was key in his decision [via the Express].

Meanwhile, Reine-Adelaide, an exciting forward, has made appearances in Lens’ under-19 team this season.

The pair will team up with the Gunners’ under-21 squad.

Despite the duo unlikely to feature in the first-team for some time, Lens have one of the finest academies with a reputation for producing some of the most outstanding young talent in France – which should leave the Gunners faithful excited ahead of their arrival.

Geoffrey Kondogbia, Raphael Varane, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Serge Aurier, Thorgan Hazard are some of the most impressive products to come out of the Les Sang et Or youth setup, having earned big-money moves across Europe following their success at the Stade de la Licorne.

Arsene Wenger also has a history of buying and nurturing top talent from his native country with Gunners legends Thierry Henry and Robert Pires, as well as current Emirates stars Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny and Francis Coquelin, among his most high-profile French signings.

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LOSC Lille’s on-loan Liverpool forward Divock Origi scored in Ligue 1 as Les Dogues relegated their local rivals Racing Club de Lens.

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Antoine Kombouare’s Lensois took the lead through Pablo Chavarria, but Lille responded just before the break through Sofiane Boufal.

The home side made it two on 74 minutes after Djibril Sibide demonstrated drive and endeavour to finish a fine team move.

Lens pushed forward, and had chances to save themselves and a point in the final ten minutes, but Origi sealed their fate in the dying moments of the game.

Lille broke forward in a counter attack, and they initially looked like carrying the ball into the corner to waste some time, Florent Balmont caught sight of Origi’s darting run forward.

The defensive midfielder squared the ball for the Belgium international to fire home with aplomb.

The 20-year-old has been disappointing in Ligue 1 this season, managing only eight goals in 30 appearances. He was signed by Liverpool last summer but has been loaned back to Rene Girard’s outfit for this campaign.

The post (Video) On-loan Liverpool striker scores to relegate local rivals in Ligue 1 appeared first on CaughtOffside.

AS Monaco returned to third place in the Ligue 1 table on Sunday following a convincing 3-0 away victory against strugglers Racing Club de Lens, inspired by playmaker Joao Moutinho.

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Monaco had dropped to fourth place earlier in the day following AS Saint-Etienne’s triumph over Montpellier Herault Sport Club, but they returned to the podium after goals from Bernardo Silva, Anthony Martial and Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco.

While the club’s young players stole the plaudits, Joao Moutinho was influential in the heart of midfield for the Club of the Principality, reminding spectators why the club were so desperate to make him one of their Galacticos in 2013.

Moutinho’s technical proficiency and his exceptional positioning eased the pressure on the Monegasques’ defence when Lens pushed forward, and ensured that Leonardo Jardim’s side were able to launch forward in devastating counterattacks when the opportunity presented itself.

The youngsters were outstanding, but they had the perfect playmaker amongst them as Moutinho—stationed as a No.10 in between the Brazilian and the Belgian, perfectly orchestrated those around him.

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AS Monaco retook third place in the Ligue 1 table after a convincing 3-0 victory over relegation strugglers Racing Club de Lens.

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Despite being eliminated from the Champions League in midweek—following a 1-0 aggregate defeat at the hands of Juventus—Monaco didn’t miss a step upon their return to domestic action.

The Monegasques headed into action against Lens knowing that, following AS Saint-Etienne’s victory over Montpellier Herault Sport Club earlier in the day, they had dropped out of the top three.

In this context, Leonardo Jardim’s side deserve great credit.

Admittedly, Lens are probably the worst side in the division, but Monaco were ruthless in their dissection of the strugglers, and secured the three points with an element of panache.

Their 3-0 victory means that Monaco have now scored three goals in each of their last four away games, it’s a terrific record and begs the question, had Jardim’s side started the season more strongly, would they be in the title mix?

They opened the scoring through Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco on the 36th minute.

The Belgian international is a class act and eluded a defender with a fine turn before firing home.

Anthony Martial scored the second, as he continues to demonstrate his improving consistency and composure in front of goal.

The youngster has often been criticised for his finishing, but he made no mistake here after going one-on-one with the keeper.

The victory was completed in the second period when Bernardo Silva—one of the outstanding individuals against Juve—scored from close range.

Monaco, in third, are only three points behind second-placed Olympique Lyonnais and two ahead of Saint-Etienne.

With only four matches to go, their fine form should be enough to see them over the line.

Lens, bottom on 26 points, are 12 points off Stade de Reims in 17th place—there is little that can save them now.

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AS Monaco will be looking to put Champions League misery behind them when they travel to Racing Club de Lens on Sunday evening.

When: 4.00 pm GMT, 26 April 2015

Where: Stade Felix Bollaert, Lens

Monaco failed to progress to the final four of the Champions League when they were defeated, on aggregate, by Juventus in the quarter-finals.

Despite drawing the second leg 0-0 in front of their own fans, Monaco dropped out thanks to a 1-0 defeat in the first leg, the goal coming when Arturo Vidal scored from the penalty spot in Turin.

The Club of the Principality may have fallen short, but they gave a good account of themselves and proved that there’s reason for optimism at the club, despite the decision to drop the ‘Galacticos’ policy.

Young France international Geoffrey Kondogbia was terrific in the second leg, terrorising Juventus with his barrelling runs forward and his powerful shooting.

It’s little wonder that several Premier League clubs—including Arsenal—have been linked with his signature.

Bernardo Silva was also on song against Juve, impressing with his excellent dribbling and his fine play in the channels. The Portugal international was acquired on a free transfer in January and there is evidence that he can be a shining light for the club moving forward.

As ever, Monaco’s defence was resolute—a common factor throughout their fine Ligue 1 campaign—with Aymen Abdennour, another Premier league transfer target, demonstrating why he is such a sought-after stopper.

A combination of the fine form of Leonardo Jardim’s side and Olympique de Marseille’s dreadful collapse have led to Monaco occupying the third Champions League spot with the season drawing towards a close.

The Club of the Principality may slip out of the top three should Saint-Etienne beat Montpellier Herault Sport Club in the game’s early kickoff, but will hope to finish the day in third regardless of the first result of the day.

Monaco will be without Jeremy Toulalan, who is a key player in the heart of the park, due to a thigh strain. Expect Fabinho to partner Kondogbia in the heart of the park.

Striker Lacina Traore is another absentee, with Tiemoue Bakayoko remains a doubt as he continues to make his comeback from injury.

In defence, Ricardo Carvalho may well partner Abdennour, with Andrea Raggi moving to the right-back berth.

Lens, who are steadily heading towards Ligue 2, are at the foot of the table.

The Northern club sit on 26 points, and are eleven off safety. They haven’t won in their last four and were beaten by fellow strugglers Metz in their last match.

Antoine Kombouare is surely preparing his side for life in the second tier.

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FC Metz gave themselves hope of an unlikely Ligue 1 revival with a 3-1 victory over Racing Club de Lens at the Stade Saint-Symphorien.

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Les Grenats remain eight points of safety, but have a game in hand on 17th-place Evian Thonon Gaillard and will surely be harbouring hopes of a miracle escape from the drop.

Metz are now unbeaten in three matches, following up a 0-0 draw away at Stade Malherbe Caen with victories over fellow strugglers Toulouse and Lens.

Crucially, Albert Cartier’s side have scored three goals in each of their last two matches and will not be scared of anyone as they bid to remain in the top flight.

Florent Malouda opened the scoring against Antoine Kombouare’s outfit with a fine volley before Bouna Sarr made it two from the spot just before the hour mark.

Modibo Maiga made sure of victory late on before Aristote Madiani added a late consolation goal for Lens.

The Blood and Gold remain bottom of the league and, 11 points off safety with only five games to play.

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Ligue 1’s no-hopers FC Metz and Racing Club de Lens come go head-to-head in the top flight on Saturday evening with both looking to condemn the other to the drop.

When: 7.00 pm GMT, 18 April 2015

Where: Stade Saint-Symphorien, Metz

Regardless of the outcome, both sides look destined for life in the second tier next season.

The doomed pair currently sit nine points from safety and, heading towards the end of the Ligue 1 campaign, it would take something special for either Albert Cartier’s Grenats or Antoine Kombourae’s Blood and Gold to escape the drop.

This match is arguably more important for Lens, who have played one game more than their fellow strugglers.

Metz may feel confident of picking up the points following their recent victory over another of the division’s battlers, Toulouse.

That 3-2 victory once again exposed the side’s weak underbelly, but if Modigo Maiga—the on-loan West Ham United man who scored a hat-trick that day—can continue his fine form, a miracle escape might not be impossible.

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