£35m deal looks certain to kick off Chelsea’s summer after latest development points out Fabrizio Romano | OneFootball

Chelsea are out of the Champions League, but they still have a representative in there.

Ian Maatsen has made it to the semi finals with his loan team Borussia Dortmund, and as Fabrizio Romano has pointed out in his exclusive column for Caught Offside, the extra cash resulting from that run should grease the wheels for a permanent transfer this summer:

“[Making it to the semi finals] is really important news for Borussia Dortmund. Why? Obviously they have the importance of Champions League but also the fresh money from the competition so that they can really attack their two main targets,” Romano wrote.

“[After Jadon Sancho], Ian Maatsen. The player is really happy and he has a £35m release clause in his Chelsea contract. Conversations will take place and the club will really try to make this happen also,” he continued.

There had been worries before this stage that the German club might push back against the £35m price, but at this stage it’s looking cheaper and cheaper. Chelsea want a quick sale, and Maatsen is fitting in nicely too.

Things falling into place

It’s a funny old world being a Chelsea fan right now. On the one hand you desperately want players of Maatsen’s quality to stay. On the other hand, you understand the financial necessity of selling him at this point. So it’s hard to know what to root for. If Dortmund back out and don’t sign him, some fans would celebrate. But that would only be making a sale of another player more likely.

It will be an interesting summer ahead, and this feels like it should be one of the first dominoes to fall. Barring a swift move from Bayern, everything is lined up for Maatsen to move the moment the window opens, as long as Dortmund are willing to pay up.