Dortmund to swap Malen for Maatsen?

Speculation has emerged that Ian Maatsen could return to Borussia Dortmund as part of a deal with Aston Villa for Donyell Malen.

Borussia Dortmund are in negotiations with Aston Villa for Donyell Malen, but the parties have yet to come to an agreement.

Villa’s latest offer was reportedly €18 million plus bonuses, but Dortmund are understood to be holding out for at least €30 million.

With the parties still relatively far apart on a deal, they could be looking at a different kind of transaction, according to Bild, who claims Dortmund are investigating the possibility of swapping Malen for Ian Maatsen.

The Dutch left-back spent the second half of last season on loan at Dortmund from Chelsea. The player wanted to stay beyond the summer, but ended up joining Aston Villa for €30 million as Dortmund weren’t able to meet Chelsea’s asking price.

Since moving to Villa Park, Maatsen has struggled to nail down a starting berth and a return to Dortmund could be tempting, especially with his chances of making the Netherlands squad for next year’s World Cup in mind.

However, according to Sky Germany, a move back to Dortmund looks unlikely for Maatsen at the moment, with Aston Villa reluctant to let him leave this month.

At the same time, the German media outlet claims that Maatsen is still keen to fight for his place at the Birmingham club.