Liverpool and Manchester City could potentially face off in a battle to sign a left-back who turned down a move to another Premier League side during the summer.
According to TEAMtalk, Ian Maatsen is set to leave Chelsea in the January transfer window and wants to join a ‘top club’, with the 21-year-old reportedly an ‘option’ for Jurgen Klopp and also of interest to Pep Guardiola’s treble winners.
Vincent Kompany had actually tried to sign him permanently for Burnley in the summer following a successful loan spell at Turf Moor last season, with the west Londoners even accepting a £31.5m bid from the Clarets, only for the defender to reject the move in favour of fighting for his place at Stamford Bridge.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are also believed to be in the market for a new left-back, which could serve to accelerate Maatsen’s exit as he already struggles for game-time.
The Dutch full-back was a very useful attacking outlet as Burnley romped to promotion last season, with four goals and six assists in 38 matches across their Championship-winning campaign (WhoScored).
His effectiveness getting forward was highlighted in detail by The Athletic, with Maatsen showing echoes of Andy Robertson in that regard.
Of course, the Scotland captain’s lengthy layoff due to surgery on a shoulder injury has left Kostas Tsimikas as Liverpool’s only natural senior left-back, which might explain why Klopp is reportedly looking at adding to his options in that area.
The Chelsea defender could be open to a move, having been given just 84 minutes of Premier League action so far this term (WhoScored), but there’s a risk that he could be equally peripheral at Anfield.
The earliest he’d be able to join is in January, by which stage Robertson could be on the verge of returning to action (Evening Standard).
Also, if Tsimikas impresses between now and then, Klopp probably won’t want to jettison the Greece international in favour of bringing in a new face who’s been left kicking his heels for most of the season.
Liverpool might wait to see how the Scot fares in his recovery from his recent surgery before deciding whether or not to seriously pursue Maatsen in the winter.
#Ep94 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️