West Ham are set to miss out on the signing of Chelsea defender Malang Sarr this window despite the defender hardly featuring for the Blues this season.
According to Ouest France via GFFN, the 22-year-old will remain in west London despite loan interest from the likes of AS Roma and Leicester City, with Foot Mercato reporting that West Ham were also keen on signing Sarr on a short-term deal this window.
The defender has played a bit-part role for the Blues this season after returning from FC Porto on loan. Sarr has played just two Premier League games, with the Frenchman making nine appearances in all competitions.
Indeed, with Sarr hardly playing for Chelsea and earning a reported £120,000-a-week, it makes sense why the Blues could have been tempted to loan out the defender with West Ham eyeing the former OGC Nice star.
However, Thomas Tuchel’s side have now decided to keep Sarr for the remainder of the season, leaving West Ham looking for another defensive target to come in this January.
The Irons are keen to sign a centre-back this month with Angelo Ogbonna out for the season with injury. And following the success of Kurt Zouma, it would have made sense to bring Sarr to West Ham from Chelsea.
Sarr from Chelsea could have been perfect loan solution for West Ham
Whilst game time has been an issue for Sarr this season with Chelsea, there’s no doubt that the youngster could have been a good option for West Ham this season as a short-term solution for the club’s lack of defensive options.
After all, the defender has impressed when called upon by Tuchel and has drawn comparisons to Chelsea’s captain Cesar Azpilicueta, who last season lifted the UEFA Champions League.
However, for West Ham, Sarr could have brought extra quality and much-needed cover to the centre-back position, especially with the Hammers missing their star defender for the season.
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