Chelsea and Strasbourg exchange defenders Sarr and Anselmino on deadline day

Sarr participated for Strasbourg in the 2-1 defeat at home to Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday evening, which will likely be his last match for the Alsace club.

Last January, Chelsea completed their first permanent signing from Strasbourg since the two clubs came under the same BlueCo ownership, in a deal worth £12m.

Sarr made one substitute appearance for Chelsea during their Club World Cup win in the summer before returning to Strasbourg on loan in August.

Recently appointed Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior described Sarr as “my son”, with “scary” potential to become “world class” during his time as coach of Strasbourg last season.

The defender’s return, after winning the African Cup of Nations as a starting player with Senegal last January, is likely to spark anger among Strasbourg fans.

Protests from a minority of fans intensified earlier in the season when Rosenior left the club to replace Enzo Maresca, who had fallen out with senior figures at Chelsea and left on New Year’s Day.

Alongside Fofana’s loan move, the deals that see Sarr and Anselminho swap places are the 10th and 11th deals between the two clubs this season, including the deal that saw Rosenior move for a compensation fee from France to England.

Chelsea’s defense has not performed at their attacking level in the Premier League this season, and ranks just 11th in terms of expected goals (xG) despite conceding the third-fewest goals.

However, Chelsea can strengthen their defense in the short-term by bringing back a player Rosenior would love to work with, while they will redouble their efforts to sign a centre-back in the summer.

They are also interested in signing another midfielder and striker, having briefly expressed interest in Aston Villa loanee Douglas Luiz and Manchester City winger Antoine Semenyu over the winter window.