Chelsea star's contract 'torn up' after telling manager 'not to pick him'

Chelsea have reportedly parted ways with defender Malang Sarr after his contract at Stamford Bridge was torn up. The Frenchman moved to west London four years ago after leaving Nice but featured just 21 times for the club.

Sarr worked with a string of managers in the capital after joining the Blues during Frank Lampard’s first spell in charge.

But he failed to establish himself under Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino as he reportedly refused to play at one stage last season.

Sarr was shipped off to Porto just weeks after putting pen-to-paper on a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge and represented the club six times in the Champions League, featuring twice against Manchester City in the group stages.

He was then handed gametime by Tuchel during his second season as a Chelsea player and came off the bench for both of the Blues’ Club World Cup matches in February 2022 as the team lifted the trophy.

The 25-year-old was shipped off to Monaco on loan at the beginning of the 2022/23 campaign but struggled to make a positive impression as the French club eventually opted not to trigger his £12.6million buyout.

He then came close to securing another move away from Chelsea during the winter transfer window last season, but a deadline-day move to Le Havre collapsed.

Sarr was eligible to feature at youth level last season but was regularly overlooked, with Chelsea sources reportedly suggesting his under-21s absences were due to the fact he had indicated to bosses that he didn’t want to be selected.

But sources close to Sarr claimed he had only ruled himself out while he was recovering from injury.According to L’Equipe, Sarr has reached an agreement with Chelsea to release himself from the last year of his contract in west London. And he will undergo a medical with Lens before signing for the French club.

Lens finished seventh in Ligue 1 last season after winning 14 of their 34 matches and could well hand Sarr a regular starting place in the backline if he can prove his fitness in the coming weeks.

Chelsea, meanwhile, still have a plethora of defensive talent at the club, with the likes of Levi Colwill, Axel Disasi, Benoît Badiashile, Wesley Fofana and Tosin Adarabioyo all set to battle for starts at the heart of the backline.

But Trevoh Chalobah could be set to follow Sarr through the Stamford Bridge exit after he was omitted from the Blues squad for their pre-season tour in the USA.