Chelsea outcast Axel Disasi has revealed that he pushed until the last minute to secure a move back to his former club, AS Monaco.

Axel Disasi’s future was a big talking point throughout the summer. The French international wasn’t a part of Enzo Maresca’s plans going forward; as a result, Chelsea were ready to cash in on him. While there was no shortage of interest in him, the Blues failed to offload the 27-year-old in time.

After making a name for himself at AS Monaco, Disasi joined the Blues in the summer of 2023. Initially, he was an important part of their plans, but he failed to establish himself as a key figure in the team. The French centre-back slowly went down the pecking order and ended up spending the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa.

Since Unai Emery’s team decided against making the move permanent, he was back at Stamford Bridge. However, it quickly became quite apparent that he was no longer a part of Maresca’s plans. As a result, the London club were ready to cash in on him. Disasi was also ready to part ways, but unfortunately, they couldn’t finalise his exit before the deadline.

Disasi on his failed Monaco move

During an interview with Le Média Carré, the Chelsea defender talked about how he kept pushing for a return to Monaco, but it didn’t work out.

The 27-year-old said: “In the period between the approaches from Bournemouth and West Ham, Monaco arrived and that hit me emotionally. I had three incredible years at Monaco. When they came in, all the memories came back. Monaco is home,” began the Chelsea centre-back.

“I hoped that Chelsea would find a solution to allow me to leave on loan […] I pushed until the last minute to go to Monaco!”

Disasi didn’t get his desired loan move

With Disasi available, multiple top clubs showcased interest in his services. West Ham United and Bournemouth even made an approach for the French international. But, once his former club Monaco entered the race, the 27-year-old only wanted to return to the Principality club.

Having spent three incredible years at the French club, he was eager to join them. The Ligue 1 outfit could only afford a loan move, and Disasi was hoping the Blues would sanction his departure on a temporary basis.

However, the London club could no longer send any more players out on loan to foreign clubs after sanctioning Nicolas Jackson’s move to Bayern Munich. Having maxed out their quota, the Blues could do nothing despite all parties wanting the move to go ahead.