Chelsea 'reach agreement' to sell Ian Maatsen to Premier League rival

Chelsea are believed to have agreed a deal with Aston Villa to sell left-back Ian Maatsen, who played in last month's Champions League final while on loan at Borussia Dortmund.

Maatsen moved to Germany on a short-term deal in January and was a key part of the Dortmund side that reached Wembley, where they were beaten by a clinical Real Madrid.

But, despite proving himself at the highest level and Chelsea in need of a reliable left-back, the Dutchman is set for a permanent transfer to a Premier League rival. The upside is that the Blues will rake in a considerable fee for a player who was developed by their academy.

Dortmund had the option of triggering a £35m release clause in their loan deal that went unused. The Athletic has now reported that Aston Villa have agreed to buy Maatsen for a fee "just above" that number and are "working to finalise" terms of a six-year contract that has also been agreed.

Maatsen's Chelsea contract was extended when he joined Dortmund on loan and is due to expire in the summer of 2026, meaning he is about to enter the final two years.

He had made 15 appearances for his parent club in the first half of the campaign, but only one of those was a Premier League start and it lasted less than an hour. In stark contrast, he went straight into Dortmund's starting lineup in both the Bundesliga and Champions League.

Maatsen, who joined Chelsea at the age of 16, turned 22 in March and has enjoyed a meteoric rise, despite the problems establishing himself in west London. He spent 2021/22 and 2022/23 on loan in the Championship, winning the division in the latter season with Burnley.

Many were unable to understand why he couldn't get a proper look in at Chelsea, when Marc Cucurella had spells in and out of the team and Ben Chilwell was sidelined for months through injury.

But Maatsen is now set to return to the Champions League with a Villa side that finished fourth in the Premier League to qualify for Europe's top competition for the first time in over 40 years.

Villa are expected to move on one of existing left-backs Alex Moreno and Lucas Digne.

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