Multiple sources: Dortmund miss out as Maatsen prepares for Villa move
In what shall prove a major setback for German Champions' League representatives Borussia Dortmund, multiple sources are now reporting that "die Schwarzgelben" are set to miss out on their chance to acquire Dutch left-back Ian Maatsen permanently.
Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano presently confirms a report initially surfacing in online sports journal "the Athletic" yesterday regarding the future of Dutch left-back Ian Maatsen. The Athletic reported that Dortmund allowed the deadline to pull the 22-year-old's reported €40.6 million release clause to lapse, instead tendering a lowball offer to the Dutchman's parent club of Chelsea FC.
Both the journal and Romano now report that Aston Villa have approached Chelsea with a transfer offer more in line with the release clause. Maatsen will apparently move to Birmingham and sign a new deal valid through 2030. Maatsen shall depart German football after impressing significantly as one of the best performers of the 2023/24 "Rück-runde".