have blocked Fulham from signing Malang Sarr after rejecting a bid from their west rivals, according to reports.
’s side are highly reluctant to allow another defender to leave after losing and Andreas Christensen to Real Madrid and Barcelona this summer.
Chelsea missed out on Jules Kounde after Barcelona hijacked a move – despite the Sevilla centre-back agreeing terms with the Premier League club – while .
Kalidou Koulibaly arrived at Stamford Bridge from Napoli, but .
The latest update is that Chelsea have rejected a bid from Fulham for 23-year-old centre-back Sarr, with the reporting that they will not let him leave until they have signed a new central defender themselves.
and have also been linked with a move for Leicester City’s Wesley Fofana but both players would command enormous price tags.
Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers has played down Chelsea’s interest in Fofana, insisting his player is ‘not for sale’ while the Blues would need a ‘miracle’ to sign Gvardiol, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Sarr made 21 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions last season with the former France U21 international arriving from Nice in 2020 on a five-year deal.
Fulham were promoted back to the Premier League last term after winning the Championship title, and face their west London rivals Chelsea at Craven Cottage on September 10.
Boss Marco Silva feels the side are not quite ready for the new season, feeling that they need to bring in new faces.
‘I congratulate [my team] for the work they have been doing,’ he said on Sunday. ‘They were fantastic last season and they are working really hard. But we as a squad are not ready.’
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