Borussia Dortmund's Sebastian Kehl discusses the possibility of permanent deals for Jadon Sancho and Ian Maatsen

Having won the last three games on the trot since the start of the winter break, Borussia Dortmund's season is looking a bit brighter thanks to this shift in their fortunes. A big part of this shift has been the signing of Chelsea's Ian Maatsen and Machester United's Jadon Sancho on loan.

In an interview with Sky Sport, Dortmund Sporting Director Sebastian Kehl broached the question thats on everyone's mind: how feasible would it be to keep these two talents on permanent deals? The answer to this question, is a complicated one, according to Kehl:

"Unfortunately, it was the case with both players that no option was really realistic. If you know what we got for Jadon Sancho two and a half years ago, then you also know that it may be very very difficult now."

- Sebastian Kehl

Kehl's reasoning in the case of Sancho in particular makes sense. When Dortmund parted ways with the player as he joined Manchester United in 2021, the fee was upwards of 80 million euros. It is unlikely that United will want to give up Sancho for an extraordinary loss, as would have to be the case for Dortmund to sign him. That being said, it isn't like the club was unwilling to try:

"Of course, we stood up for an option with him - and also with Ian - but the negotiating position was not such that we could realize it."

- Sebastian Kehl

In the case of Ian Maatsen, Kehl was a bit more optimistic with his words, but also just as cautious about any sort of permanent deal for the Dutchman, as the club do have first refusal on the player's 35-40 million euro release clause:

"It's good that we have the boy [Maatsen] here now. We can observe him intensively and get to know him on the pitch and outside and of course we will then deal intensively with the situation."

- Sebastian Kehl

Maatsen himself has stated that he is keeping his options open, with one of those options being a permenet move to the club. So far, he has been particularly good on the pitch for Dortmund, reinvigorating the left back position for Die Schwarzgelben to great effect.

Even in the case of Sancho however, It's hard to believe that Dortmund won't at least try to bring United back to the table regarding their former player and try to find a reoslution. He too has shown glimpses of his old self, and mentioned that returning to Dortmund has brought back ther joy of football for him once again. Time will tell if any of these deals come to fruition, but so far both players are showing that they would certainly be worth the financial effort to retain, within reason.