Borussia Dortmund ‘hold talks with Chelsea defender Ian Maatsen over a January move… but the Bundesliga side only want a loan deal while the Blues would prefer to sell the Dutchman’

Chelsea defender Ian Maatsen has reportedly held talks with Borussia Dortmund over a January move.

Maatsen, 21, enjoyed an extremely fruitful loan spell at Burnley last season, but has struggled for gametime since his return to Stamford Bridge.

Despite the Blues’ ongoing injury crisis, Maatsen has started just once in the Premier League and he is now in the final 18 months of his contract.

And, according to the Evening Standard, the Dutchman – who also had loan spells at Charlton and Coventry in recent campaigns – has discussed a potential Chelsea exit with Dortmund.

The report claims the Blues are open to selling Maatsen, but want around £30million after accepting a similar bid from Burnley back in the summer.

The 21-year-old has struggled for gametime this season after a fruitful loan spell with Burnley

However, Dortmund are unable to afford that and would rather bring in the left sided defender, who can also feature further forward, initially on a loan deal. 

Maatsen has come off the bench on 11 occasions in the top flight this season, but despite injuries to first choice left backs Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella, centre half Levi Colwill and right back Malo Gusto have regularly been preferred by Pochettino.

While his versatility means he is useful for Chelsea to have around, the Blues need to sell players before buying in January to stay inside FFP restrictions and Maatsen is one of their most sellable assets. 

The report also claims the Blues are keen on bringing in a new striker, with both Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney on their radar, although any transfer would likely be extremely expensive.

However, if one of those players becomes available, it could accelerate an exit for Maatsen and lead to Chelsea lowering their asking price. 

Maatsen was a…