Chelsea are looking to sell players as well as buy them this summer, and Ian Maatsen is one of those who has long been expected to leave. He’s playing at the Euros with Holland now, but after that he looks certain to be sold.
He’s home grown and will produce a lot of important cash to put back on the books when he’s sold, and the club even accepted offers last summer, only for Maatsen to decide to stay. This summer it looks like he’s willing to leave and Fabrizio Romano’s latest report claims that interest in him is going nowhere.
The Italian insider said that Borussia Dortmund are “still keen” on the left back, and that Aston Villa are going to rival the German side for his signature. The English club have “discussed” the option with Chelsea and “negotiations continue.”
🚨🇳🇱 Not only Borussia Dortmund, still keen on Ian Maatsen. Understand Aston Villa are pushing for Dutch left back as one of their summer targets.#AVFC have already discussed Maatsen with Chelsea during talks for Jhon Durán — and negotiations continue for Maatsen. pic.twitter.com/XQ6IG2gOY8
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 19, 2024
A perfect situation for Chelsea
It remains great news for Chelsea, who genuinely seem to have a series of teams all very keen on Maatsen. This is a dream situation for the Blues – they’re under no pressure to sell early, and can instead sit back and watch the bidding war commence.
At least one of Villa and Dortmund should end up stumping up the £35m we want – and if not, there’s still reported interest from Bayern Munich waiting in the wings. Many fans would like to see him stay at Stamford Bridge, but it feels like that ship has sailed. Maatsen wasn’t given a fair swing under Mauricio Pochettino, and after getting a taste of the good life on loan with Dortmund in the second half of last season, it’s understandable that he would like to continue playing regularly and establishing himself as a top club somewhere.
We expect Chelsea to stay patient, and eventually all parties will get what they want from this situation.
