He looks to be a massive coup for Unai Emery’s side.
Aston Villa are on the verge of completing their first major move of the summer as Unai Emery looks to build a squad capable of competing on all fronts next season.
Villans looking to strengthen
After a fourth placed Premier League finish, Emery’s side want to bolster their ranks this summer ahead of a Champions League challenge in September. They have reportedly agreed a deal to sign Ross Barkley from Luton Town in a deal that is expected to set them back around £5m, though that has yet to be confirmed by either club following Luton’s relegation from the Premier League on the final day of the season.
One departure has been completed, however, in the form of midfielder Tim Iroegbunam, who is reportedly on the verge of joining Everton in a deal worth close to £10m. Additions will be forthcoming, with the club interested in signing Lewis Dobbin from Everton as well as trying to agree a swap deal with Juventus for Douglas Luiz, which will see Samuel Iling-Junior and at least one more Juve player make the switch to Villa Park.
Meanwhile, the club are still looking to offload fullbacks, with Matty Cash interesting both Inter and AC Milan, while Lucas Digne is thought to be free to leave the club.
There remains speculation around Jhon Duran too, amid interest from Chelsea, and now that deal could be about to take another step forwards.
Villa agree defender deal
That comes as Aston Villa have reportedly agreed a deal with Chelsea to take Ian Maatsen to Villa Park this summer. The Dutch defender spent the second half of last season on loan with Borussia Dortmund, helping them reach a Champions League final, where they were beaten by Real Madrid.
But he has since returned to Stamford Bridge, with Dortmund not willing to pay the £35m option to buy the fullback that was in their loan agreement, and that clause having since expired. With just two years left to run on his £20,000 a week deal in west London, he was always likely to be sold this summer.
And Villa have pounced. As per David Ornstein, the 22-year-old has agreed a six year contract with the Midlands outfit, while Chelsea will pocket a fee “just north” of £35m, which has since been clarified by other outlets as up to £40m with add-ons included.
The defender is currently at EURO 2024 with the Netherlands, having been a late call up to Ronald Koeman’s squad, and was an unused substitute in their group stage opener against Poland.
Ian Maatsen 23/24 (all competitions) | |
Appearances | 38 |
Goals | 3 |
Assists | 2 |
Yellow Cards | 10 |
Any move for Maatsen may see Duran head the other way as both sides look to balance their books for the purposes of financial fair play, though it technically would be in a seperate deal. Well-liked by his coaches, Maatsen was hailed by Vincent Kompany during his loan spell at Burnley, in which he helped the Clarets win the Championship.
“He’s got to be coachable in a sense that when he’s not doing well we’ve got to be able to tell him and eventually learn from his mistakes”, the now Bayern boss explained.
“He’s got to be willing to work hard, he does that terrifically, and get better. He’s just turning into something that we expected him to be able to become. He’s a very, very versatile full-back with lots of energy and great potential.”