Mamadou Sarr trains with Malo Gusto. (Photo by Chris Lee/Chelsea FC)

“Not finalised” – Reliable reporter puts doubt in Chelsea getting their new CB today

By Simon Phillips - 2nd Feb 2026, 11:42am

A reliable reporter has cast some doubt over whether Chelsea will actually get Mamdou Sarr back in the door today or not.

Most of us thought it was a done deal, with Fabrizio Romano calling the ‘Here We Go’ on it late last night. Usually when he says that, a deal will get done. On the rare occasions though, they do not. Is this the case here with Sarr?

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Another centre back Aaron Anselmino is about to leave Chelsea on loan for Strasbourg to cover the departure of Sarr there, after some interesting accusations of tapping up from Dortmund, the last team he was with.

So as the story goes, Anselmino was heading to Strasbourg to cover Sarr going to Chelsea. But none of these deals have been officially confirmed at the time of writing this article. Things can of course change very quick.

Not finalised yet

Mamadou Sarr on the ball. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

The reliable Kieran Gill of The Daily Mail posted on X this morning:

‘Not finalised yet, but Mamadou Sarr is still in line to return to Chelsea from Strasbourg today.’

So, he still expects it to be done. However, there is a shade of doubt over this one with his opening line. Until it’s finalised, then no deal is done. Until it’s announced by a club or by a player, then anything can still happen and Chelsea fans may still feel a little worried about it until it’s made official.

Sarr is top

I think Sarr is a very good defender. But for me, ideally I’d have liked to have seen him see out the season on loan at Strasbourg so he can continue to develop without the pressure of playing for Chelsea.

As we know, this can get to even the most experienced of players.