Chelsea could sell £35m talent to Premier League rivals and keep the accountants happy | OneFootball

Chelsea and Aston Villa look set to have their futures very much intertwined this summer.

The starting point is Villa striker, Jhon Duran. He’s a player Chelsea have been tracking for some time, and there was talk of interest back in January.

Recent reports from all over are claiming that he’s keen on a move to Stamford Bridge, and a report today from Matt Law says that the Blues are already in talks over personal terms with the Colombian striker.

But that’s not the only move between the two clubs we could see in the coming weeks. Villa are apparently keen to take players from us in return (either directly as part of the deal or separately). The move for Conor Gallagher is still potentially on once he returns from the Euros, and Law today adds the possibility that Ian Maatsen could interest Unai Emery’s team.

Ian Maatsen trains with the Netherlands squad.

A mutually beneficial setup

Maatsen’s great second half of the season on loan at Dortmund has seriously raised interest in his services, and the fact that the German side don’t want to pay Chelsea the £35m release clause in his contract has opened up the way to other teams to have a bid and try to land the Dutch international, also away in Germany right now.

Villa have made the Champions League and will be a tempting destination for players, but they also apparently need to sell to comply with FFP regulations. Selling Duran (who is a definite second choice behind Ollie Watkins) and then signing Maatsen for a similar sum could see them improve their starting team without much net spend.

That sort of arrangement could benefit them and Chelsea, and we expect plenty more chatter in the coming weeks, especially once the Euros are finished.