West Ham United: Ian Maatsen to make Chelsea January exit decision as contract news emerges
Ian Maatsen is set to make a decision on whether to leave Chelsea in January amid interest from West Ham in signing him, according to Dean Jones.
Speaking to GiveMeSport on Sunday (22 October), the former Eurosport journalist said the fact the 21-year-old has had a clause in his contract activated until 2025 doesn’t mean he isn’t still available for a transfer.
He added that the Dutch left-back will see “how he is feeling” by the time January comes around after he hasn’t received many minutes in the Blues side this season.
“News on Ian Maatsen extending his deal at Chelsea does not necessarily mean that he is not attainable, and I think we will still see clubs coming to check on the situation in January,” said Jones.
“I think we will soon get a pretty clear indication as to whether there is genuinely a path for him into the first team or if this is a move that maintains his value to the club. His chances have been very limited at a time when the squad has been decimated by injuries. He’s played 83 minutes of Premier League action, and they’ve all been from sub appearances.
“We know that Manchester City and West Ham have an interest in him, and there’s also been an eye on his situation from Barcelona. Chelsea actually accepted an offer for him from Burnley not so long ago, so let’s see how the next couple of months pan out for him, how he is feeling by the time January comes around and whether any club is tempted to table another offer.”
Make a move
This is one transfer that West Ham should pursue in January after they previously tried to land a deal for Maatsen in a bid to strengthen their options on the left-hand side of the pitch.
He is an extremely promising talent and that’s why Barcelona are monitoring his situation and Man City are also contemplating making a move to sign him.
With Aaron Cresswell’s time with the Hammers looking likely to come to an end before too long and Emerson approaching 30, the Dutchman would be the perfect addition.
He is unlikely to break through into the Chelsea first team any time soon due to the options they have at left-back, with his contract clause probably being activated to ensure they receive a decent fee for him if he does decide he wants to leave.
They are clearly open to selling him after accepting an offer from Burnley over the summer, so perhaps now is the time for us to feel out the situation in preparation for a January move.
In other West Ham news, a Lucas Paqueta recall update has emerged amid the allegations aimed at him.