Yahoo Sports Aston Villa ‘pushing’ to sign Chelsea defender
Aston Villa are pushing to sign Chelsea defender Ian Maatsen as part of ongoing transfer discussions between the two clubs.
Villa and Chelsea are in dialogue over a number of potential deals with the latter interested in signing Jhon Duran from the Midlands club.
Any deal for Duran would be dependent on players moving to Aston Villa in exchange due to Chelsea’s financial resitrctions and Maatsen is an option Villa would consider as part of a swap deal.
The 22-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund and contributed to the club’s run to the Champions League final, with the German outfit keen on a permanent deal.
However, Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Dortmund face strong competition from Villa who want to add Maatsen to their squad ahead of a maiden Champions League campaign next season.
Maatsen has a release clause of £35m in his contract at Chelsea and an exchange deal would allow Villa to sign the full-back without worsening their own profit and sustainability concerns (PSR).
Swap negotiations continue, and Unai Emery’s side are open to Duran’s exit with the forward having struggled for first-team football last season. Chelsea are long-term admirers of the Colombian and expressed interest in January.
Villa are also interested in signing Conor Gallagher from Chelsea though negotiations over the England midfielder are not expected until after Euro 2024.
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