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Barcelona is interested in Chelsea full-back Ian Maatsen, who is still having trouble breaking into the starting lineup at Stamford Bridge.
While the 21-year-old has been a member of the Blues since 2018, he has also spent the previous three seasons on loan at Charlton, Coventry, and most recently Burnley, where he shone during the Clarets’ promotion from the Championship.
The Dutchman rejected the move in the intention of establishing his value in west London, despite the Clarets’ desire to maintain hold of him throughout their Premier League campaign and Chelsea’s acceptance of their offer.
Maatsen has played under Mauricio Pochettino this season, making six substitute appearances in the Premier League and two starts in the League Cup, but it has not been as active as he had wanted.
In Pochettino’s team, there is fierce rivalry at left-back, and Maatsen finds it difficult to outpace players like Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella, and Levi Colwill.
According to the Spanish daily Sport, Barcelona is aware of Maatsen’s predicament. His Chelsea contract expires in 2025, thus the Blues will be eager to sell him the following year.
Ronald Koeman gave Maatsen his first call-up to the most recent Netherlands squad, indicating that he has not gone unnoticed on the international stage.
He did not receive his first cap in any of the games against France or Greece, but he will have been encouraged by his participation and dreams of being selected for Euro 2024 next summer if the Netherlands qualify.
The 1-0 victory over Greece on Monday, secured by Virgil van Dijk’s late penalty, has left Koeman’s team in a strong position to qualify, and they will do so barring a catastrophe against Gibraltar or the Republic of Ireland.
