Borussia Dortmund are unlikely to turn Ian Maatsen’s loan deal from Chelsea into a permanent switch, as he’d simply cost too much for a left-back.
That’s according to Ruhr Nachrichten, relayed by Ruhr 24, who say a permanent deal is ‘hard to imagine’ for the Bundesliga side.
They explain that the chances of Maatsen moving to Dortmund on a permanent basis are ‘slim’ at this moment in time, despite his loan deal from Chelsea having been a success so far.
The current loan deal doesn’t include an option to make the move a permanent one, but the player has a release clause worth €35-40m.
That, then, is the figure that the Blues will demand for the defender but despite Maatsen making good impressions since arriving in January, it is difficult to imagine that Dortmund would spend that money as it would make him their record signing.
Their current highest outlay is the €35m spent to sign Ousmane Dembele from Stade Rennais in 2016 and the only time they’ve paid €30m or more for a defender was to sign Mats Hummels back from Bayern Munich in 2019.
They’re also well covered in the position with Ramy Bensebaini and Tom Rothe, so all signs indicate that Maatsen will be returning to Chelsea at the end of his loan deal.
