German giants Borussia Dortmund have reportedly reached a verbal agreement to sign Chelsea left-back Ian Maatsen on loan.
The 21-year-old was loaned out of Stamford Bridge for the third time in the 2022-23 season, during which he played a crucial role in Burnley's promotion back to the Premier League under Vincent Kompany.
Having shown his quality in the Championship, Maatsen returned to West London with the aim of establishing himself in Chelsea's first team, and he has made 15 appearances for the Blues in the current campaign.
However, Maatsen is yet to register a goal or assist for Mauricio Pochettino's side this term, and only three of his 15 appearances have come as a starter, including two in the EFL Cup.
From 12 Premier League matches, the Netherlands Under-21 international has totalled just 199 minutes, making his only start against Crystal Palace on December 27 and coming off on the 58-minute mark.
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Even with Marc Cucurella and Ben Chilwell absent through injury, Levi Colwill and Malo Gusto have been preferred to Maatsen at left-back, while he is also behind Raheem Sterling, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Noni Madueke in the attacking pecking order.
Saturday's FA Cup third-round clash with Preston North End would seemingly be an ideal opportunity for Maatsen to play his way into Pochettino's good books, but he was an unused substitute throughout the contest as the Blues marched to a 4-0 win.
Back in October, Chelsea activated an extension in the Dutchman's contract to keep him at the club until the end of the 2024-25 season, but there is no indication that he will be handed a long-term extension.
Burnley and Manchester City have been linked with a January swoop for Maatsen, although he supposedly has no intention of re-joining the Clarets, and Dortmund have since positioned themselves at the head of the queue.
According to German journalist Florian Plettenberg, a verbal agreement is now in place for the Chelsea man to join Edin Terzic's side on loan for the rest of the season after positive developments on Saturday.
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Discussions between the two clubs are now believed to be at the final stages, and Maatsen is inching ever closer to a mid-season switch to the Signal Iduna Park, which would be his fourth temporary spell away from the Blues.
Maatsen left PSV Eindhoven's youth academy in 2018 to join the Blues and made his senior debut in a 7-1 EFL Cup win over Grimsby Town in the 2019-20 season, but he has also been shipped out to Coventry City and Charlton Athletic on loan.
As well Maatsen, Dortmund are also working on a deal to bring Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho back to the Bundesliga for the next six months following his ostracisation from the Red Devils squad.
The England winger has not played for Man United since the end of August owing to a breakdown in his relationship with Erik ten Hag, and there is now believed to be a broad agreement in place between the two clubs.
However, there are still a few more hurdles to clear before Sancho can don the Dortmund kit again, namely the percentage of the attacker's wages that the Bundesliga club will cover during his loan spell.
Ben Knapton
