Report: Ian Maatsen likely to leave Chelsea after Borussia Dortmund loan concludes
The future of Chelsea loanee Ian Maatsen is already becoming the source of great interest and speculation just about a month into his loan with Borussia Dortmund. Having barely played throughout the first half of the season for Chelsea, Maatsen has gone on to impress for Dortmund, with the Dutchman providing two assists in the process.
Maatsen’s performances have been so good that the player was named Bundesliga rookie of the month for January, which further underlines just how much of a revelation he’s been since joining Die Schwarzgelben. Maatsen didn’t have any transition period either; he was instantly thrust into the starting 11 after the winter break and has absolutely flourished.
According to reports, Maatsen’s future may more definitively lay beyond Chelsea as the player seems likely to seek a move away after his Dortmund loan concludes. As has already been mentioned, Dortmund have first refusal on the player’s 35 million pound release clause, and it’s likely that Dortmund will try to strike a deal for the player once the season comes to an end. Whether they’ll be successful is another story entirely.
According to previous comments made by Sporting Director Sebastian Kehl, a deal for Maatsen could be difficult, but the club do plan on exploring it as an option:
"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 noted that he could see a future with Dortmund beyond this season, and considering his impact so far, securing his permanent transfer could be one of the most important deals for Dortmund to pursue this summer. Maatsen has well and truly added that level of creativity Dortmund have lacked in the fullback position since Raphaël Guerreiro’s departure to Bayern Munich in the summer, and it would be a shame to see such a talent slip through the club’s hands, especially since full back had been one of the most needed positions since the start of the season.