Barcelona prepared to offer young player in potential swap deal for Chelsea’s Ian Maatsen

Barcelona are ready to offer Pau Cubarsi to Chelsea in a swap deal involving Ian Maatsen

Chelsea’s pursuit of Barcelona’s highly-rated centre-back Pau Cubarsi could well transpire if the Blues send Ian Maatsen the other way in the swap deal. According to the Spanish publication Sport, (h/t Football.London) Barcelona wants Ian Maatsen in a swap deal for their centre-back Cubarsi.

Mauricio Pochettino seems to be convinced by his 16-year-old’s qualities and pushed for his acquisition in the last summer window, and the Blues have now been given an impetus to land the Spanish star.

Maatsen, who returned to Chelsea in the summer window after completing his loan at Burnley has featured as a substitute this season. The Dutch star was hesitant to renew his contract, which saw the Blues activate an option to extend his contract by another year.

The Blues could forcefully sell the Dutch star if he doesn’t extend his deal, and could put him up for a transfer in January as they cannot afford to lose him for free.

Barcelona are extremely interested in signing the 21-year-old as a backup for Alejandro Balde because they are unsure about Marcos Alonso’s future with the Catalan club.

If the Blues are successful in landing Cubarsi in a swap deal, it will be another excellent addition for them. The 16-year-old has already demonstrated his maturity at a high level, and if he continues in this vein, we may see him make his senior squad debut sooner, given that Pochettino is never afraid to give young players an opportunity.

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Maatsen hasn’t been used as a left-back at Chelsea and has mainly operated on the wing, but as a substitute and it’s reasonable he hasn’t been satisfied with his game-time as he would want more minutes on the pitch. Now that the Blues have a big decision to make about his future and if they really want the Barcelona teenager, a swap deal makes sense.