West Ham ‘frontrunners’ for Chelsea star who lit up pre-season; £15m bid already lodged
Chelsea stars Ian Maatsen, Nicolas Jackson and Carney Chukwuemeka
Chelsea have opened contract talks with a rising star who lit up pre-season, but West Ham and Burnley are ready to swoop if a key demand isn’t met, per a report.
Pre-season offers managers a chance to take a closer look at both the younger stars and fringe elements in their squad. One player who ticks both of those categories for Mauricio Pochettino is Ian Maatsen.
The Dutchman, 21, has been on Chelsea’s books since 2018, though has just a single senior appearance to his name.
Maatsen is a left-back by trade, though his attacking instincts mean he’s equally adept at operating further forward.
Maatsen shone while loaned to Championship side Burnley last season. Indeed, being named in the Championship’s Team of the Season is proof of that.
The rising star has featured heavily for Pochettino in pre-season, though with Ben Chilwell back in the mix, he’s been deployed in more advanced roles.
According to a fresh update from the Evening Standard, Maatsen will be utilised as either a left winger or No 10 if retained at Chelsea next year.
The Blues hope to tie Maatsen down to a new contract given his current deal has just one year left to run. To that end, the Standard state talks over a new deal are now underway.
But before the Dutchman will pen fresh terms, he reportedly wants ‘assurances over his development plan at Chelsea’.
White not made explicitly clear, it stands to reason Maatsen wishes to know whether he’d be loaned out again, what position he’d play if staying, and how likely he is to play regularly.
If Chelsea can’t satisfy Maatsen’s demands, the report claims West Ham and Burnley are ready to pounce.
Burnley bid rejected, West Ham take lead
In fact, Burnley have already seen a £15m bid rejected earlier this summer. It’s stated Chelsea’s asking price was £20m at the time, though the situation has changed after Maatsen shone in pre-season.
£20m-plus will be difficult for Burnley to spend in one go. Instead, it’s West Ham who are now labelled ‘frontrunners’ if Maatsen leaves Chelsea.
That scenario will only unfold if the Dutchman makes it clear he won’t sign a new deal. In that instance, Chelsea must cash in this window or run the risk of losing a valuable asset for nothing next summer.
The Hammers have cash to splash on the back of selling Declan Rice to Arsenal for a fee totalling £105m.
Personal terms have been agreed with their would-be Rice successor, Edson Alvarez. A second midfielder is wanted, and per the Standard, so is Maatsen.
With Gianluca Scamacca poised to join Atalanta, a new striker will be on the agenda too.
SOURCES: Chelsea greenlight Trevoh Chalobah sale with West Ham, Everton, Crystal Palace battling Euro sextet
