£20m player was expected to be sold by Chelsea, but his pre-season displays may have changed things

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Some expected Ian Maatsen to be sold by Chelsea this summer – however, his performances under Mauricio Pochettino may have changed the situation now.

That is according to The Athletic.

So, what is the latest on Ian Maatsen at Chelsea? Let’s take a look…

What’s the story?

Well, the Netherlands Under-21 international made a name for himself on loan at Burnley last season, working his way into the Championship Team of the Season as Vincent Kompany guided the Clarets into the Premier League.

However – according to The Athletic – many expected Maatsen to be sold by Chelsea this summer, purely due to the amount of left-backs Mauricio Pochettino has in his squad.

The Argentine can choose from Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella or Lewis Hall in that area.

Now – however – after Maatsen got down to work under Pochettino to great effect, his situation at Stamford Bridge may have changed.

The Athletic believe Chelsea could now keep the Dutchman after he scored twice in the 5-0 win over Wrexham on Thursday, which earned him the Man of the Match award.

In the event that Chelsea do still decide to sell the 21-year-old, it is now expected that the asking price will increase significantly as he emerges as a star of Pochettino’s pre-season.

The Blues had previously valued Maatsen at £20m – according to The Athletic.

Any permanent sale of Maatsen must involve a buyback for Chelsea

In our view, if Maatsen does end up leaving Chelsea on a permanent basis this summer, the Blues have to negotiate a buyback clause.

The Dutchman appears to be a hugely talented footballer with plenty of time on his side to get even better, and if Chelsea sell him without including a buyback option, we feel those at Stamford Bridge will live to regret it.

Chelsea are already – presumably – kicking themselves for failing to include a buyback clause in the deal which saw Marc Guehi move to Crystal Palace, as the Guardian believe the Blues are now thinking about bringing him back.

However, the south Londoners have put a £60m price tag on his head, according to the Daily Mail.

Hopefully, Chelsea learn from previous incidents where a top prospect has been allowed to leave without a buyback clause being inserted in the deal, and make a sensible decision on Maatsen.