Just as we thought another afternoon was going to slip by without much action on the Chelsea news front, David Ornstein has dropped news of a deal that’s close to being done.
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It’s been expected for some time now, but it seems that Chelsea’s negotiations with Aston Villa to try and sign their striker Jhon Duran have ended up going in a different direction, with Villa counter-attacking and bidding for left back Ian Maatsen.
Ornstein says that the Villains have “reached an agreement” with Chelsea to sign the left back, who was on loan with Borussia Dortmund for the latter half of last season, reaching the Champions League final with some really impressive performances along the way.
It’s not clear if this deal is going to end up linked to a later Duran deal in some way, but certainly the two deals are being presented as independent.
Aston Villa reach agreement with Chelsea to sign left-back Ian Maatsen. Fee for 22yo Dutch youth int’l just north of now-expired Borussia Dortmund-specific £35m release clause. Personal terms in place on 6yr contract @TheAthleticFC #AVFC #CFC https://t.co/njmDQHF3ZB
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) June 19, 2024
A solid sum and some cash in the bank
This makes a lot of sense financially for Chelsea. As an academy player they didn’t pay a transfer fee for, all the money they get will be registered as “pure profit,” paying back a chunk of spending from the last couple of busy windows.
Plenty of fans would rather see Maatsen given a chance at Chelsea, but it’s clear that his sale has been accounted for already, and he always looked very likely to be one of the players sacrificed to pay for the refreshing of the squad.
Mauricio Pochettino never gave him a chance despite a strong preseason, and Maatsen must have accepted that he was never going to get a chance ahead of Marc Cucurella and Ben Chilwell. After a taste of Champions League football with Dortmund, it’s no surprise he’s gone to Villa where he can continue to enjoy it.