Borussia Dortmund are preparing to make their first offer for Ian Maatsen, who has a release clause of £35m according to reports.
Maatsen has been a revelation since swapping the Premier League for the Bundesliga in January and has established himself as a key part of the Dortmund team, which is currently preparing for the Champions League final against Real Madrid at Wembley.
The 22-year-old returned to Chelsea after a successful loan spell at Burnley last season and impressed in pre season, but found opportunities few and far between at Stamford Bridge, starting just one Premier League game in the first half of the campaign.
Dortmund preparing first Maatsen offer
Maatsen turned down the chance to join Burnley on a permanent deal last summer despite the clubs agreeing a deal worth £31.5m, to stay and fight for his place at Chelsea.
For whatever reason Mauricio Pochettino didn’t take a fancy to the Dutchman, preferring to play Levi Colwill out of position despite injuries to Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella.
It was thought Maatsen would be sold in January, but he ended up signing a contract extension with a £35m release clause inserted and joined Dortmund on loan.
The left back has shown his quality in Germany with a series of impressive performances, and could cap off an incredible loan spell as a Champions League winner.
Maatsen’s performances have impressed Dortmund, with the German club keen to make the deal permanent, with his Chelsea career seemingly over.
Sky Germany report the German giants are preparing their first offer for Maatsen, and they plan to offer just £21.3m which is considerably less than the £35m release clause, with Dortmund not wanting to pay that amount.
Transfer expert Ben Jacobs adds that Dortmund are hoping to negotiate a lower fee, while Chelsea feel the valuation is fair given Maatsen’s form and the fact Burnley were prepared to pay £31.5m last summer.
One thing’s for certain Maatsen shouldn’t be sold for anything less than the release clause, and if Chelsea are going to let a player of his talent go they need to ensure they get the best deal possible.