Aston Villa have agreed a deal with Chelsea to sign left-back Ian Maatsen.
With a £35million release clause in Maatsen’s contract specific only to Borussia Dortmund and now expired anyway, Villa and Chelsea have compromised on a fee just above that figure. Personal terms are also in place on a six-year contract, which Villa are working to finalise.
Villa manager Unai Emery is a huge admirer of the 22-year-old and wants to recruit him ahead of next season, when the West Midlands side will contest Champions League football for the first time.
Maatsen’s terms at Chelsea had been scheduled to end in June 2025 but were extended by 12 months in January. After the extension was confirmed, Chelsea sent Maatsen on loan to Dortmund and the Dutchman quickly established himself as a key part of their run to the Champions League final.
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Maatsen had only made three starts — one in the Premier League, two in the Carabao Cup — and 12 substitute appearances in the first half of last season before joining the German team. He then started all seven of Dortmund’s European games and 15 of their 18 Bundesliga matches.
Maatsen is currently with the Netherlands at the European Championship in Germany. Initially omitted from head coach Ronald Koeman’s final 26-man party, he was recalled last week because of injuries to Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners. The Netherlands beat Poland 2-1 in their opening Euros game, where Maatsen was an unused substitute, and now face France on Friday and Austria next Tuesday.
Maatsen previously spent the 2022-23 campaign on loan at Burnley, helping them win the Championship and earning a place in the division’s team of the year. He also had temporary spells at Charlton Athletic and Coventry City in League One and the Championship respectively.
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Should Aston Villa keep hold of Lucas Digne or Alex Moreno?
Why are Villa interested?
Analysis by Aston Villa correspondent Jacob Tanswell
As The Athletic reported last month, adding in both full-back positions have been considered. Left-back is a key area for Unai Emery’s asymmetrical system that sees the right-back become a third centre-back and the opposite full-back tasked with staying high and wide and replicating the functions of a left winger. It is why they targeted Argentina international Marcos Acuna last season, who played in a more advanced left-sided position during the World Cup.
Out of the current options, Alex Moreno appears better suited to Emery’s style than Lucas Digne, due to his acceleration and inclination to drive at players one-v-one. Digne, who is also happy at Villa was a reliable performer last term but carries more traditional characteristics.
However, recurring hamstring injuries restricted Moreno to 520 minutes of football last season, while Digne is among the highest earners at the club, with Villa looking to get his £120,00 salary off their books since last season.
Why are Chelsea willing to sell?
Analysis by Chelsea correspondent Liam Twomey
Chelsea insist they do not need to sell players by June 30 to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR), but they are certainly in the market to bank some pure profit this summer — and Maatsen has been one of the likelier candidates to be sold for some time.
Maatsen played just 416 minutes for Chelsea across all competitions between August and January last season, and part of the agreement that extended his contract to June 2026 when he joined Borussia Dortmund on loan in the winter was that he would be sold if an offer of at least £35million was received.
Despite having a Champions League final to forget against Real Madrid, Maatsen’s loan spell at Dortmund was hugely productive and increased his transfer value. Chelsea are well covered at left-back with Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella, and happy to cash in now.
(Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
