Chelsea ‘quietly’ activate contract extension to ward off Barcelona; £50m outcast’s exit is ‘90% likely’

Lewis Oldham 19 Oct 2023 9:32 AM

Chelsea star to leave — Chelsea defender Ian Maatsen.

According to reports, Chelsea have ‘quietly activated an option to extend Ian Maatsen’s contract by a further year’ amid interest from FC Barcelona.

Maatsen impressed while he was on loan at Burnley last season as he helped Vincent Kompany’s side earn promotion back to the Premier League.

The defender was linked with a permanent move to the Clarets during the summer transfer window as Chelsea overhauled their squad under new boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Burnley reportedly had a £30m deal in place to sign Maatsen on a permanent basis but the defender opted to reject this transfer.

It has recently been reported that Barcelona and Manchester City are interested in signing Maatsen in the coming months.

But The Evening Standard have revealed that Chelsea have ‘strengthened their position’ regarding Maatsen as his deal has been ‘extended until 2025’.

The report adds: ‘Barcelona were keen to sign Maatsen on a free transfer, according to reports in Spain, and could have been able to negotiate the deal from January. But they now face paying a substantial fee, with competition coming from a growing list of Premier League clubs, including West Ham and Burnley.

‘Ideally, Maatsen would like a prominent role under Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge but saw the club accept Burnley’s loan offer with an obligation to buy worth £31.5million on deadline day.

‘Standard Sport understands Maatsen has also rejected two Chelsea contract offers in recent weeks. His hesitancy is due in part to the just 83 minutes played in the league this season.’

Trevoh Chalobah could also leave Chelsea in the coming weeks after Bayern Munich and Nottingham Forest missed out on him during the summer transfer window.

It has recently been claimed that Newcastle United are monitoring the £50m-rated defender and transfer guru Fabrizio Romano thinks his January exit is “90% guaranteed”.

“Another player to watch is Trevoh Chalobah, as I can confirm now that my information is that he will leave Chelsea in January. You may remember that Chelsea were prepared to let him go to Nottingham Forest in the final hours of the transfer window, only for the player to say no,” Romano told Caught Offside.

“Bayern Munich were also interested in Chalobah and their interest remains, while there are now other clubs as well. Chalobah loves Chelsea but he wants to play, so he is prepared to go. A January exit now looks 90% guaranteed, so let’s see how this develops, but in all likelihood he will be on his way out of Stamford Bridge.

“One player Bayern are not currently in talks to sign is former Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos, despite what has been reported elsewhere. Real Betis spoke to Sokratis but there was no agreement between the two parties so the deal collapsed. Bayern are not speaking to Sokratis as of now, they’re happy with the squad they have; in case they change their mind, Sokratis would be super keen on the move.”

Chelsea Ian Maatsen