Chelsea CRUSH wonderkid’s dream by blocking transfer

Chelsea have “put their foot down” to prevent wonderkid Ian Maatsen from departing the club cheaply this summer, having been impressed by his performances while on loan at Borussia Dortmund.

Maatsen’s Chelsea career appears to be over following his latest loan move, with the 22-year-old having enjoyed his taste of regular first-team football – something he is not certain of if he were to return to Stamford Bridge in the summer.

The Blues, though, are not willing to allow the left-back to depart easily and are set to demand the player’s €40 million (£35m) release clause be paid in full to allow him to go, The Mirror reports.

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Such a stance is set to scupper Maatsen’s dream of staying with Dortmund. The Bundesliga side had previously indicated that a price of €35m was out of their reach. This would match the club’s most expensive signing ever, which was their purchase of Ousmane Dembele from Rennes in 2016.

Chelsea have since raised their demands for the full-back following his performances in the Champions League, which have propelled BVB into the semi-finals of the competition against PSG.

Dortmund would not, however, have budgeted for the type of financial windfall such a run in the competition has brought, potentially altering their summer plans, yet Edin Terzic’s side are also seeking a way to retain Jadon Sancho from Manchester United in the summer.

The England winger appears to be the priority at present, though he represents a costlier operation, at least in terms of his wages. Man Utd could be flexible on his transfer fee, especially if Erik ten Hag remains as manager.

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Maatsen confirms transfer stance

Maatsen has made it clear that he wishes to leave Chelsea, though.

Speaking to CBS Sports after the midweek victory, he revealed: “I always believed [I could] play for Chelsea, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. Now I’m here I’m very grateful for the opportunity. I’m very proud of myself. I kept believing in myself and came here to play my game at the highest level. Today I think I showed a very good performance.”

Maatsen has been on Chelsea’s books since 2019 but has managed only 16 appearances for the first team at Stamford Bridge. He has already featured 18 times across all competitions for BVB.