
Burnley are keen to re-sign former loanee Ian Maatsen from Chelsea this summer.
Burnley are keen to re-sign Chelsea defender Ian Maatsen following his successful time at Turf Moor on loan last campaign,
according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
Is Ian Maatsen going to Burnley?
According to The Sun, Maatsen is wanted by Burnley and Vincent Kompany’s men are chasing his signature despite the
Netherlands Under-21 international featuring for Chelsea in pre-season.
The 21-year-old is out of contract at Stamford Bridge in 2024 and Burnley are said to be trying to land Maatsen for a cut-
price fee of £10 million with add-ons included.
Last term, Maatsen was on loan at Turf Moor and enjoyed a superb campaign as Burnley strolled to the Sky Bet
Championship title, registering four goals and six assists in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.
As per The Athletic, Maatsen is also being considered by West Ham United as David Moyes aims to bolster the left hand side
of his defence this window.
Nottingham Forest are another side that have put their hat in the ring to land Maatsen; however, he has stated his
willingness to stay at Chelsea in a recent interview cited by The Daily Mail.
Following Chelsea’s 5-0 victory over Wrexham last week where he scored twice, Maatsen said: “‘I try to do my best. It’s all I
can do. Of course I want to stay. If I prove that every day in training and work hard in the matches, they’ll decide. Hopefully
I can stay here.”
Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jacobs has detailed that Burnley remain interested in Maatsen despite baulking at
Chelsea’s earlier £20 million asking price for the full-back.
Jacobs told FFC: “There is interest obviously from Burnley because he was on loan there last season, but talks a few weeks
back between Burnley and Chelsea were honing in around the £20 million mark and Burnley saw that as too high. West
Ham are also looking at the player too.”
What next for Burnley?
Burnley have already started their preparations for the Premier League campaign by bringing in James Trafford, Jordan
Beyer, Nathan Redmond, Dara O’Shea, Zeki Amdouni and Lawrence Vigoroux. Republic of Ireland international Michael
Obafemi has also joined the Clarets permanently, as per Transfermarkt.
Coventry City star Gustavo Hamer could be next to pitch up at Turf Moor in a deal worth £15 million that could see one of
Luke McNally or Bobby Thomas head in the opposite direction to join the Sky Blues, as per The Daily Mail.
Burnley aren’t showing any sign of halting their recruitment drive and have reportedly had a bid in excess of £10 million
turned down for Sunderland winger Jack Clarke, TEAMtalk understands.
Clarke is said to be unhappy at Sunderland for going against their word and turning down the proposal as he seeks a move to
the English top flight to continue his development.
Wolfsburg midfielder Aster Vranckx is garnering attention from Burnley and Fulham this summer and the Bundesliga outfit
would demand around ‘at least €10 million’ for the 20-year-old, according to DH via Sport Witness.
Excitingly, Burnley fans look like they will be able to welcome a few new signings yet ahead of 2023/24 getting underway
from a competitive standpoint.
the window opened, with Sean Moore joining from Northern Irish outfit Cliftonville for an undisclosed fee.
Their lack of action has not been through lack of trying, however, as the Irons have already lodged bids for several players,
including Joao Palhinha, Conor Gallagher and James Ward-Prowse.
The problem seems to be that in every one of those cases, the selling club have asked for dramatically more than West Ham
are willing to pay – a potential consequence of the world knowing about their huge profit on Rice.
For example, The Athletic reported earlier this month that Fulham rejected the Irons’ offer of £45m for 28-year-old
Palhinha, with the Daily Mail reporting that the Cottagers are holding out for a fee of around £60m.
Read The Latest West Ham Transfer News HERE…
That said, these setbacks in the market haven’t stopped the Conference League champions from pushing on in their search
for new midfielders, with the club hoping to potentially land at least two in the window, per Sky Sports’ Sheth.
He explained the situation live on Sky Sports News (via Football Daily), saying:
“Talks are continuing behind the scenes at West Ham, I’m told, about which midfielder to push for. We think that among the
primary targets are Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher; the Southampton captain, James Ward-Prowse; and Manchester
United’s Scott McTominay.
“We think that West Ham are looking to potentially recruit at least two new midfielders. It’s not easy plugging that Declan
Rice gap.”
Who else has been linked with a move to West Ham?
While the midfield remains the priority for the Hammers this summer, the club have been linked to a host of other players,
from attackers to defenders.
Former Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has been one of the names most touted for a move to the London
Stadium over the last few weeks.
The 30-year-old has had a miserable last couple of seasons for the Red Devils, so much so that he was stripped of the
captaincy earlier this month and is now considered sellable.
According to Sky Sports, David Moyes is keen to bring the centre-back to east London on a permanent deal or season-long
loan. However, the wages and fees involved are problematic, and no agreement has been reached.
If the club can work out a way to reduce the England international’s £190,000-a-week wages or pay a share of them through
a specific agreement, then it could be a brilliant deal.
Despite having a poor couple of years, the former Leicester City star still has solid underlying numbers and could potentially
improve the level of the Irons’ backline.
According to FBref, which compares players in a similar position across Europe’s top five leagues, the Sheffield-born titan
sits in the top 11% for blocks, the top 12% for aerial duels won, the top 13% for touches in the opposition’s penalty area, the
top 17% for attempted passes and the top 19% for progressive carries per 90.
With just over a month left of the transfer window, the Hammers need to hurry up just a bit with identifying and signing the
appropriate midfielders; otherwise, they could find themselves with insufficient time to bolster the rest of their squad.
Leave a Reply