Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of defender Ian Maatsen from Chelsea for a fee in excess of £35million.
The Netherlands full-back agreed personal terms with Unai Emery’s Villa last week and now the deal has been announced.
Maatsen has put pen to paper on a six-year contract and will be tied down at Villa Park until 2030.
Chelsea decided to part ways with the 22-year-old permanently after he spent the second half of the 2023/24 season on loan at Borussia Dortmund.
While at Signal Iduna Park, the left-back quickly won over fans, where he helped the club advance into the Champions League final.
He finished his spell with the German side boasting three goals and two assists from 23 games in all competitions.
His displays earned him a place in the Netherlands’ Euro 2024 squad, with Ronald Koeman calling him up as a late replacement for Frenkie de Jong.
And Maatsen, who won the Championship on loan at Burnley in the 2022/23 campaign, has now departed Stamford Bridge on a permanent transfer.
It is believed that the deal is worth in excess of the £35m release clause Chelsea agreed with Dortmund in the winter window.
talkSPORT understands that it could be worth as much as £40m, with Chelsea standing to earn more more should add-ons be met.
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Maatsen, who joined Chelsea’s academy in 2018 from PSV, has made 15 appearances for the west Londoners since making his debut in 2019.
He featured 15 times under Mauricio Pochettino‘s tutelage but was limited to just one Premier League start.
However, the Dutchman will now be playing Champions League football once again after Aston Villa finished fourth in the Premier League in 2023/24.
Whereas Chelsea will be competing in the Europa Conference League – Europe’s third-tier competition.
Maatsen will begin his career as a Villa player once he has finished playing in Germany at Euro 2024 where the Netherlands face Romania in the last 16.