Aston Villa Sign Chelsea Left-Back Maatsen For £35M

Aston Villa have completed the signing of Chelsea left-back Ian Maatsen for £35M.

Maatsen, 22, spent the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund and helped the Bundesliga club to reach the Champions League final.

The defender is with the Netherlands at Euro 2024 as they prepare for a last-16 tie against Romania on Tuesday.

He is Villa’s second signing of the summer after striker Lewis Dobbin joined from Everton.

Chelsea signed Maatsen in 2019 from PSV Eindhoven and he impressed during loan spells at Charlton Athletic, Coventry City, Burnley and Dortmund.

He played a major role in helping Burnley win promotion to the Premier League in 2022-23, scoring four goals in 39 appearances as he was named in the Championship Team of the Season.

Maatsen started the last campaign at Chelsea but struggled for regular minutes under Mauricio Pochettino, although he appeared in 15 games across all competitions.

A six-month loan move to Dortmund was agreed in January after he penned a one-year contract extension that ran until June 2026 which included a release clause that was expected to lead to his departure this summer.

During his time in Germany, Maatsen featured 23 times and scored three goals as Dortmund finished fifth in the Bundesliga and lost 2-0 against Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

He leaves Stamford Bridge after making 16 appearances for the west London club.