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Why Ian Maatsen is close to leaving Chelsea for higher than his £35m release clause

Ian Maatsen to Aston Villa is almost a ‘here we go’ - I say almost because Villa and Maatsen are in a direct discussion, there is a negotiation ongoing between the club and the player on personal terms. Villa have offered a six-year contract to Maatsen and are working to reach an agreement and to convince the player on financial terms, on the project, and on Unai Emery’s ideas for him.

An agreement between Villa and Chelsea, meanwhile, is already done. The fee is going to be £37.5m, and some of you have been asking me why it’s more than Maatsen’s £35m release clause. First of all, that clause has now expired, so it’s no longer valid. Paying slightly more also means Villa can pay it over several years, so the terms are better for them. It’s also important to say that Borussia Dortmund really tried to advance on signing Maatsen permanently, but they never offered £35m.

So, the deal is agreed between Chelsea Villa for £37.5m, Maatsen is now negotiating personal terms with Villa, and the hope for all parties is to get a deal done this week. A ‘here we go’ could come soon.

The expectation is also for a player to leave Villa and join Chelsea. My understanding is that it could be an academy player, so don’t expect big names. The original idea was for Jhon Duran to be part of the negotiations, but Chelsea have still not decided what they want to do with the striker position as they also consider Samu Omorodion from Atletico Madrid.