Aston Villa set to land £35m star
Villa look to have won the race to sign left-back Ian Maatsen from Chelsea.
The 22-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund, is highly-rated by Unai Emery and believed to have a release clause of around £35million.
Villa are looking to off-load players to comply with the Premier Leagues spending rules and proposed deals for Douglas Luiz and Jhon Duran, to join Juventus and Chelsea respectively, remain in the balance.
Luiz’s move to Italy would be part of a player-plus-cash move involving midfielder Weston McKennie but Villa are yet to reach agreement on terms with the latter. Forward Moise Kean has been mooted as a possible alternative in the deal.
Chelsea are also reluctant to meet the asking price of £40million for striker Duran and have been exploring alternative attacking options.
The onus is on Villa to move players out before the end of the month as they look to stay within the league’s profit and sustainability rules.
Talks are continuing with Everton over the sale of Tim Iroegbunam, while reports in Italy have claimed right-back Matty Cash is a possible target for Inter Milan.
