Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City eye a move for Chelsea defender Ian Maatsen
21-year-old Dutch left-back Ian Maatsen has been finding it tough to establish a place for himself within the Chelsea starting XI. He has been playing second fiddle to the likes of currently injured Ben Chilwell and Levi Colwill.
The player has only featured for 376 minutes across his 15 appearances in all competitions this season. Slowly finding himself out of favour under Mauricio Pochettino, the player might look to secure a move in the upcoming January transfer window.
To offer him a lease of life, Manchester City appear to be showing interest in securing Maatsen’s services. That is as per The Athletic [subscription required]. He also turned down a move to Burnley in August and they might make another attempt as well.
On Chelsea’s books as a youth prospect since 2018, he has had several loan opportunities at Coventry City, Charlton Athletic and most recently, Burnley where he played a crucial part in the Clarets’ promotion to the Premier League under Vincent Kompany.
Speaking of their interest, Manchester City are admirers of Maatsen even though Nathan Ake and Josko Gvardiol have been playing as left-backs under Pep Guardiola.
While it makes sense for Chelsea to let go of a player who has been on the fringes for quite a while, the depth in the left-back position might make the Blues think twice about letting him go. For the time being, Levi Colwill has been playing well. However, Marc Cucurella and Ben Chilwell are still recovering from their respective injuries and keeping a player like Maatsen at such a crucial juncture might reap its benefits as we head towards the business end of the season.
As the January transfer window approaches, the Blues will need to weigh the benefits of keeping Maatsen against potential offers. Guardiola’s interest in the Dutch left-back adds an intriguing layer to the transfer dynamics, and Chelsea’s decision will likely consider both immediate squad requirements and long-term planning.
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Let’se see how things go. If the offer from Man City is too good to ignore, things might take a different turn. Only time will tell.