Manchester City are contemplating the possibility of making a strategic move in the upcoming January transfer window to secure the services of Chelsea’s left-back, Ian Maatsen.
In recent developments, it has been reported by Planet Sport that City is closely monitoring the contractual status of the 21-year-old Dutch defender. Maatsen spent the previous season on loan at Burnley and currently has one year left on his contract with Chelsea. During the summer transfer window, Chelsea had indicated a willingness to part with Maatsen and reportedly reached an agreement with Burnley for a loan deal that included a purchase option of £31.5 million ($39 million). However, Maatsen declined the opportunity to rejoin Vincent Kompany’s squad, expressing his intention to remain at Stamford Bridge for the current season.
As for Maatsen’s immediate future, Chelsea is keen on securing his commitment, with manager Mauricio Pochettino affording him four appearances this season, while the fellow left-back Marc Cucurella has only seen one outing. It is worth noting that Manchester City has been in need of a left-back for some time now. Should City manager Pep Guardiola decide to reach out to Maatsen, it would be intriguing to see how he responds.
Notably, these two Premier League powerhouses have engaged in significant transfer dealings in recent times, with players like Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling making the move to London, and Mateo Kovacic heading north during the summer transfer window.