Chelsea ready to sell 22-year-old, but journalist feels he is a ‘potential world-class’ player

Chelsea defender Ian Maatsen has been linked with a move away from the club at the end of the season.

The 22-year-old left-back is on loan at Borussia Dortmund and he is expected to return to his parent club upon the expiry of his loan deal. Maatsen has been an important player for Dortmund and the German club wants to sign him permanently at the end of the season. It will be interesting to see if he can help them win the UEFA Champions League trophy next month.

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Chelsea are under financial pressure right now and they will need to balance the books and comply with the Premier League’s financial regulations. Selling a homegrown prospect like Maatsen will be recorded as pure profit, and it would be a huge boost for them financially.

Recent reports claim that they are ready to sell the defender in the summer.

However, journalist Suleyman Ozturk has now sent out a warning to the Blues as relayed by Meemetoranje that Maatsen is a prodigious talent with a bright future and he could develop into a world-class player.

“If you look at Maatsen, you really see a lot of potential. He is someone who has added a lot of football to Dortmund in just a few months.

“For such a young guy who has just arrived at that level, it is impressive how much flair he plays with. From an attacking point of view, I think that is really potential world class.

“You just need fifty to a hundred matches before you really get into it. Maatsen is still a very young guy. Of course, he also had that enormous flair. When in possession of the ball, Maatsen cannot be made nervous.”

Chelsea must keep Ian Maatsen

No club would want to lose a player of his potential, and it will be interesting to see how Chelsea handle the situation. They need to raise funds from player departures, but they also need a quality left-back. Marc Cucurella has been very underwhelming since his move from Brighton and Maatsen could prove to be an upgrade on the Spaniard.

Ideally, Chelsea should look to keep the Dutchman at the club and sell Cucurella instead.

Dortmund will be delighted if they can secure the signature of the 22-year-old defender this summer. They have a proven track record when it comes to nurturing young players and selling them for big profits in the future. They will hope to do the same with the Chelsea defender as well.