Here are your evening headlines for Thursday, August 27.
Chelsea complete Sarr deal
Chelsea have confirmed the signing of 21-year old French defender Malang Sarr on a free transfer.
Sarr, who left Nice earlier this summer after his contract expired, has penned a five-year deal with the Blues and is expected to be immediately loaned out for the 2020/21 season.
Chelsea are yet to confirm who the France Under-21 international will be joining temporarily, although an update expected in the coming days.
Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia confirmed the deal, stating the club were delighted to secure a deal for the highly-rated centre back.
“The opportunity to sign Malang was one we could not miss. He is a tremendous prospect and we will be monitoring him closely during his loan period, hoping he will soon be back at Chelsea.
"We are very happy to welcome him to the club today."
Blues open talks over Mendy signing
Chelsea have held talks with Rennes over a move for goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, according to Football Insider.
The Senegalese international established himself as the first-choice stopper for Julien Stephan’s side following his arrival from Reims last summer, with 13 clean sheets in 33 Ligue 1 appearances in 2019/20.
However, despite the Blues' interest, the two clubs are still some distance apart in their valuations of the 28-year old.
Rennes are reportedly determined to hold out for their asking price of around £45 million, with Chelsea only currently willing to offer £22m to secure a deal.
The Blues are confident of bringing Rennes' price down to below £30m, although that would still be a huge increase on the £3.6m they paid Reims less than 12 months ago.
Lampard’s determination rewarded with Chilwell capture
Confirmation of Ben Chilwell as a Chelsea player completes a long-running pursuit of the England international by Frank Lampard.
The Blues have been linked with a number of left-backs in recent weeks, including Alex Telles, Sergio Reguilon and Nicolas Tagliafico.. However, Chilwell was always Lampard’s No.1 target.
The former Leicester City star has been on Lampard’s radar since he took charge at Stamford Bridge in July 2019, and the 23-year old stated the presence of Lampard was a key factor in his move.
"I obviously wanted to play for a massive club but talking to Frank before I came was one of the main reasons I wanted to come,” Chilwell said.
"He installed a lot of confidence in me and told me how the system suits the way I play.
"He seemed a really good guy you can talk to about stuff away from football.
"That's very important for a young player, a manager you can get on with and talk to stuff about. Talking to him was a massive reason for me wanting to come."
Chilwell has agreed a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge after in a £50m deal which takes Chelsea's summer spending above £100m.
Lampard is expected to continue to add to his squad in the coming weeks, with the board backing a £70m offer for Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz and a free transfer for Thiago Silva.
