To add depth to their left wing options, Barcelona is allegedly interested in signing Chelsea’s youngster Ian Maatsen. Mauricio Pochettino, manager of the Blues, could have gotten about £32 million for Maatsen this summer, but the player may depart for free when his contract expires next June.

After a string of productive loan stints, Chelsea decided to give Maatsen a try at Stamford Bridge this year. A successful promotion drive with Burnley last season cemented the Dutchman’s reputation, albeit his time at Charlton Athletic and Coventry City also helped.

Maatsen has now picked up six Premier League appearances in 2023/24, expanding on his one senior Blues outing from the previous season. However, he is still on the bench and has only had limited action (two Carabao Cup starts) in recent seasons.

The Clarets were so interested in Maatsen, a 21-year-old who can play both fullback and left wing, that they made an offer in the summer.

Chelseа аgreed tо the terms, which included а lоаn fоr оne seаsоn with аn оbligаtiоn tо buy fоr £31.5 milliоn, but Mааtsen rejected the оffer tо stаy аnd fight fоr his future аt Stаmfоrd Bridge.

Pochettino and company might regret not shooing him out the door. With only a few months left on his contract, Sport reports that Barcelona is examining Maatsen as a left-back transfer option for the upcoming summer.

If the Blues fail to re-sign him this season, the financially struggling Catalan giants could sign him as a free agent. It is believed that Maatsen has been closely monitored by Barca scouts over the past few years since the club sees him as a potential successor to left backs Alejandro Balde and Marcos Alonso.

Pochettino might try to deter suitors by playing the former PSV Eindhoven academy star on the first team. The Argentine claimed before the summer that he wouldn’t be cutting any players who were close to leaving for other teams from his starting lineup.

“What I can tell you is that there are two sides [to the situation],” he commented. “If an offer appears, it means that either another section of the club agreed to the player’s departure or that the club was trying to work out a way to let the player go.” Perhaps the player’s mind was already set in one direction during the offseason or preseason.

If it didn’t, then I treat the player fairly. I’ll let them have a go at playing and performing here. This is a field in which we have extensive experience. Those who are already here will get playing time if they are deserving, but they must be superior to the competition.