Chelsea, thrilled by wonderkid Ian Maatsen’s performances while on loan at Borussia Dortmund, has “put their foot down” to stop him from leaving the club cheaply this summer.

After his most recent loan move, Maatsen’s career at Chelsea looks to be ended. The 22-year-old enjoyed his taste of playing regularly in the first team, but he is unsure if he will play regularly in the first team should he return to Stamford Bridge in the summer.

But according to The Mirror, the Blues will not stand by and will insist that the left-back’s €40 million (£35 million) release clause be fulfilled in full before letting him leave.

Maatsen’s hopes of sticking at Dortmund are unlikely to be realized with such a stance. The Bundesliga team had previously stated that they couldn’t afford a €35 million deal. This would be comparable to the club’s most costly acquisition ever, which was Ousmane Dembele, who they acquired from Rennes in 2016.

Since then, Chelsea has increased their demands for the full-back in response to his Champions League performances, which helped BVB defeat PSG and advance to the competition’s semi-finals.

Dortmund may have to change their summer plans because they did not budget for the kind of financial windfall that such a successful run in the competition has delivered. Edin Terzic’s team is also trying to find a method to keep Jadon Sancho from Manchester United.

Even if the England winger is a more expensive operation—at least when it comes to his salary—he seems to be the first priority right now. Man Utd might be willing to negotiate on the transfer fee, particularly if Erik ten Hag is kept on as manager.

Maatsen affirms his transfer position

However, Maatsen has stated clearly that he wants to leave Chelsea.

After the midweek triumph, he said in an interview with CBS Sports, “I always believed [I could] play for Chelsea, but unfortunately it didn’t work out.” I’m really appreciative of the chance to be here right now. I’m rather pleased with myself. I came here to play my game to the best of my ability because I never gave up on myself. I felt that I performed really well today.

Despite being a member of Chelsea’s roster since 2019, Maatsen has only made 16 starts for the first squad at Stamford Bridge. He has already made eighteen appearances for BVB in all competitions.